Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children experience systematic barriers to equitable education due... more Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children experience systematic barriers to equitable education due to intentional or unintentional ableist views that can lead to a general lack of awareness about the value of natural sign languages and insufficient resources supporting sign language development. Furthermore, an imbalance of information in favor of spoken languages often stems from a phonocentric perspective that views signing as an inferior form of communication that also hinders the development of spoken language. On the contrary, research demonstrates that early adoption of a natural sign language confers critical protection from the risks of language deprivation without endangering spoken language development. In this position paper, we draw attention to deep societal biases about language in the information presented to parents of DHH children, against early exposure to a natural sign language. We outline actions that parents and professionals can adopt to maximize DHH children’s...
Advances in bilingual research have brought widespread recognition that many aspects of what we p... more Advances in bilingual research have brought widespread recognition that many aspects of what we previously assumed to be “typical” language development are in fact specific to monolinguals, and that divergent developmental patterns observed for bilingual children are a normal consequence of acquiring more than one first language. In this chapter, we discuss how studies of sign language bilingualism are poised to effectuate a similar broadening of public consciousness regarding second language (L2) bilingualism, until now built almost exclusively on the study of unimodal speech bilinguals. We summarize acquisition patterns that have emerged from the nascent literature on various sub-categories of sign bilinguals and discuss how these findings affect prevailing assumptions about bilingualism. We argue that more rigorous research on unimodal sign bilinguals in particular is needed to refine our current understanding of bilingual language acquisition and processing, and clarify the exte...
Advances in bilingual research have brought widespread recognition that many aspects of what we p... more Advances in bilingual research have brought widespread recognition that many aspects of what we previously assumed to be “typical” language development are in fact specific to monolinguals, and that divergent developmental patterns observed for bilingual children are a normal consequence of acquiring more than one first language. In this chapter, we discuss how studies of sign language bilingualism are poised to effectuate a similar broadening of public consciousness regarding second language (L2) bilingualism, until now built almost exclusively on the study of unimodal speech bilinguals. We summarize acquisition patterns that have emerged from the nascent literature on various sub-categories of sign bilinguals and discuss how these findings affect prevailing assumptions about bilingualism. We argue that more rigorous research on unimodal sign bilinguals in particular is needed to refine our current understanding of bilingual language acquisition and processing, and clarify the exte...
In our long-term project, we are studying children who are simultaneously acquiring a sign langua... more In our long-term project, we are studying children who are simultaneously acquiring a sign language and a spoken language: either Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) and Brazilian Portuguese (BP), or American Sign Language (ASL) and English. Our goals are to explore the effects of this bimodal bilingualism as offering unique insight on the various ways in which a bilingual’s languages might interact (Chen Pichler, Quadros & Lillo-Martin 2010; Lillo-Martin, Koulidobrova, Quadros & Chen Pichler in press; Lillo-Martin, Quadros, Koulidobrova & Chen Pichler 2009). In the present paper, we focus on the structure of WH-questions produced by the children in their spoken languages, and present our model of a bilingual language architecture which allows for the types of structures we observe. The structures of interest in this paper are illustrated in (1). They are questions used in regular direct question contexts (not ‘echo’ or Common Ground contexts).
RESUMO: Criancas bilingues desenvolvem sensibilidade para escolher as linguas de seus interlocuto... more RESUMO: Criancas bilingues desenvolvem sensibilidade para escolher as linguas de seus interlocutores de forma muito precoce, o que se reflete nas proporcoes diferenciadas do uso de cada lingua. Os fatores tais como o contexto do discurso e a relativa dominância das linguas na comunidade podem tambem determinar o grau de diferenciacao dos usos das linguas nas criancas em fase preescolar. Criancas bilingues bimodais, ou seja, as que estao adquirindo uma lingua de sinais e uma lingua falada, simultaneamente, estao diante de um contexto mais complexo de negociacoes. Alem da alternância de linguas, essas criancas produzem a sobreposicao de linguas, que e um fenomeno sociolinguistico analogo aquele, mas sem a supressao de uma das linguas. Este estudo analisa producoes espontâneas de criancas bilingues bimodais, interagindo com seus interlocutores surdos ou ouvintes (duas criancas americanas e duas brasileiras). Nossos resultados mostram que, mesmo nas producoes mais iniciais, as criancas ...
Researchers have argued that being a bilingual learner necessarily entails a reduction in input s... more Researchers have argued that being a bilingual learner necessarily entails a reduction in input space [1], which may result in exposure to some structures falling below the threshold for optimal acquisition. This pattern is particularly common for heritage language bilinguals who are acquiring a minority home language, with reduced exposure compared to other bilinguals. As a result, these heritage speakers display highly variable proficiency in their heritage language [2]. The discussion of heritage language users has focused almost exclusively on spoken language bilinguals, but it may be equally applicable to bimodal bilinguals who are learning a sign language as their heritage home language [3, 4]. Our project tracks the development of American Sign Language (ASL) or Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) by young children growing up in deaf signing families. Because these children can hear, they also simultaneously learn English, the majority spoken language. Here we discuss aspects of...
Translanguaging – researchers and practitioners in dialogue
Translanguaging is often regarded with great skepticism in the context of Deaf education, as an a... more Translanguaging is often regarded with great skepticism in the context of Deaf education, as an approach that has already been tried, with disastrous results. Already in the 1960’s educators understood the critical importance of allowing deaf children to exploit their full linguistic repertoire for learning: not only listening, lip-reading and reading/writing, but also sign language, fingerspelling, gesture, and other strategies that render language visually accessible. The resulting teaching philosophy, Total Communication (TC), quickly became the dominant approach employed in Deaf education. Yet despite its progressive stance on multilingualism and multimodality, TC ultimately failed to provide deaf students with full access to a natural language. This chapter contrasts the ineffective multilingual practices under TC with characteristically “Deaf ways” of multilingual meaning-making observed among skilled Deaf signers. Excerpts from life story interviews illustrate the impact thes...
A wide range of linguistic phenomena contribute to our understanding of the architecture of the h... more A wide range of linguistic phenomena contribute to our understanding of the architecture of the human linguistic system. In this paper we present a proposal dubbed Language Synthesis to capture bilingual phenomena including code-switching and ‘transfer’ as automatic consequences of the addition of a second language, using basic concepts of Minimalism and Distributed Morphology. Bimodal bilinguals, who use a sign language and a spoken language, provide a new type of evidence regarding possible bilingual phenomena, namely code-blending, the simultaneous production of (aspects of) a message in both speech and sign. We argue that code-blending also follows naturally once a second articulatory interface is added to the model. Several different types of code-blending are discussed in connection to the predictions of the Synthesis model. Our primary data come from children developing as bimodal bilinguals, but our proposal is intended to capture a wide range of bilingual effects across any...
This chapter provides a selective overview of the literature on sign language acquisition by chil... more This chapter provides a selective overview of the literature on sign language acquisition by children. It focuses primarily on phonological, lexical, morphological, and syntactic development, with a brief discussion of discourse development, and draws on research conducted on a number of natural sign languages. The impact of iconicity on sign language acquisition is also addressed. The chapter ends with brief discussion of acquisition in other, less typically researched contexts, including late L1 acquisition, bilingual sign- speech acquisition, and adult acquisition of sign as a second language.
Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children experience systematic barriers to equitable education due... more Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children experience systematic barriers to equitable education due to intentional or unintentional ableist views that can lead to a general lack of awareness about the value of natural sign languages and insufficient resources supporting sign language development. Furthermore, an imbalance of information in favor of spoken languages often stems from a phonocentric perspective that views signing as an inferior form of communication that also hinders the development of spoken language. On the contrary, research demonstrates that early adoption of a natural sign language confers critical protection from the risks of language deprivation without endangering spoken language development. In this position paper, we draw attention to deep societal biases about language in the information presented to parents of DHH children, against early exposure to a natural sign language. We outline actions that parents and professionals can adopt to maximize DHH children’s...
Advances in bilingual research have brought widespread recognition that many aspects of what we p... more Advances in bilingual research have brought widespread recognition that many aspects of what we previously assumed to be “typical” language development are in fact specific to monolinguals, and that divergent developmental patterns observed for bilingual children are a normal consequence of acquiring more than one first language. In this chapter, we discuss how studies of sign language bilingualism are poised to effectuate a similar broadening of public consciousness regarding second language (L2) bilingualism, until now built almost exclusively on the study of unimodal speech bilinguals. We summarize acquisition patterns that have emerged from the nascent literature on various sub-categories of sign bilinguals and discuss how these findings affect prevailing assumptions about bilingualism. We argue that more rigorous research on unimodal sign bilinguals in particular is needed to refine our current understanding of bilingual language acquisition and processing, and clarify the exte...
Advances in bilingual research have brought widespread recognition that many aspects of what we p... more Advances in bilingual research have brought widespread recognition that many aspects of what we previously assumed to be “typical” language development are in fact specific to monolinguals, and that divergent developmental patterns observed for bilingual children are a normal consequence of acquiring more than one first language. In this chapter, we discuss how studies of sign language bilingualism are poised to effectuate a similar broadening of public consciousness regarding second language (L2) bilingualism, until now built almost exclusively on the study of unimodal speech bilinguals. We summarize acquisition patterns that have emerged from the nascent literature on various sub-categories of sign bilinguals and discuss how these findings affect prevailing assumptions about bilingualism. We argue that more rigorous research on unimodal sign bilinguals in particular is needed to refine our current understanding of bilingual language acquisition and processing, and clarify the exte...
In our long-term project, we are studying children who are simultaneously acquiring a sign langua... more In our long-term project, we are studying children who are simultaneously acquiring a sign language and a spoken language: either Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) and Brazilian Portuguese (BP), or American Sign Language (ASL) and English. Our goals are to explore the effects of this bimodal bilingualism as offering unique insight on the various ways in which a bilingual’s languages might interact (Chen Pichler, Quadros & Lillo-Martin 2010; Lillo-Martin, Koulidobrova, Quadros & Chen Pichler in press; Lillo-Martin, Quadros, Koulidobrova & Chen Pichler 2009). In the present paper, we focus on the structure of WH-questions produced by the children in their spoken languages, and present our model of a bilingual language architecture which allows for the types of structures we observe. The structures of interest in this paper are illustrated in (1). They are questions used in regular direct question contexts (not ‘echo’ or Common Ground contexts).
RESUMO: Criancas bilingues desenvolvem sensibilidade para escolher as linguas de seus interlocuto... more RESUMO: Criancas bilingues desenvolvem sensibilidade para escolher as linguas de seus interlocutores de forma muito precoce, o que se reflete nas proporcoes diferenciadas do uso de cada lingua. Os fatores tais como o contexto do discurso e a relativa dominância das linguas na comunidade podem tambem determinar o grau de diferenciacao dos usos das linguas nas criancas em fase preescolar. Criancas bilingues bimodais, ou seja, as que estao adquirindo uma lingua de sinais e uma lingua falada, simultaneamente, estao diante de um contexto mais complexo de negociacoes. Alem da alternância de linguas, essas criancas produzem a sobreposicao de linguas, que e um fenomeno sociolinguistico analogo aquele, mas sem a supressao de uma das linguas. Este estudo analisa producoes espontâneas de criancas bilingues bimodais, interagindo com seus interlocutores surdos ou ouvintes (duas criancas americanas e duas brasileiras). Nossos resultados mostram que, mesmo nas producoes mais iniciais, as criancas ...
Researchers have argued that being a bilingual learner necessarily entails a reduction in input s... more Researchers have argued that being a bilingual learner necessarily entails a reduction in input space [1], which may result in exposure to some structures falling below the threshold for optimal acquisition. This pattern is particularly common for heritage language bilinguals who are acquiring a minority home language, with reduced exposure compared to other bilinguals. As a result, these heritage speakers display highly variable proficiency in their heritage language [2]. The discussion of heritage language users has focused almost exclusively on spoken language bilinguals, but it may be equally applicable to bimodal bilinguals who are learning a sign language as their heritage home language [3, 4]. Our project tracks the development of American Sign Language (ASL) or Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) by young children growing up in deaf signing families. Because these children can hear, they also simultaneously learn English, the majority spoken language. Here we discuss aspects of...
Translanguaging – researchers and practitioners in dialogue
Translanguaging is often regarded with great skepticism in the context of Deaf education, as an a... more Translanguaging is often regarded with great skepticism in the context of Deaf education, as an approach that has already been tried, with disastrous results. Already in the 1960’s educators understood the critical importance of allowing deaf children to exploit their full linguistic repertoire for learning: not only listening, lip-reading and reading/writing, but also sign language, fingerspelling, gesture, and other strategies that render language visually accessible. The resulting teaching philosophy, Total Communication (TC), quickly became the dominant approach employed in Deaf education. Yet despite its progressive stance on multilingualism and multimodality, TC ultimately failed to provide deaf students with full access to a natural language. This chapter contrasts the ineffective multilingual practices under TC with characteristically “Deaf ways” of multilingual meaning-making observed among skilled Deaf signers. Excerpts from life story interviews illustrate the impact thes...
A wide range of linguistic phenomena contribute to our understanding of the architecture of the h... more A wide range of linguistic phenomena contribute to our understanding of the architecture of the human linguistic system. In this paper we present a proposal dubbed Language Synthesis to capture bilingual phenomena including code-switching and ‘transfer’ as automatic consequences of the addition of a second language, using basic concepts of Minimalism and Distributed Morphology. Bimodal bilinguals, who use a sign language and a spoken language, provide a new type of evidence regarding possible bilingual phenomena, namely code-blending, the simultaneous production of (aspects of) a message in both speech and sign. We argue that code-blending also follows naturally once a second articulatory interface is added to the model. Several different types of code-blending are discussed in connection to the predictions of the Synthesis model. Our primary data come from children developing as bimodal bilinguals, but our proposal is intended to capture a wide range of bilingual effects across any...
This chapter provides a selective overview of the literature on sign language acquisition by chil... more This chapter provides a selective overview of the literature on sign language acquisition by children. It focuses primarily on phonological, lexical, morphological, and syntactic development, with a brief discussion of discourse development, and draws on research conducted on a number of natural sign languages. The impact of iconicity on sign language acquisition is also addressed. The chapter ends with brief discussion of acquisition in other, less typically researched contexts, including late L1 acquisition, bilingual sign- speech acquisition, and adult acquisition of sign as a second language.
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Papers by Deborah Pichler