On Wed, 29 Aug 2001, Payam Heidary wrote:
> one of my students asked a good question.
> She asked whether "sign language" is also learned
> easier or quicker at younger ages just like verbal
> language. Does anyone know the answer to this?
A previous reply mentioned Laura-Ann Petitto at McGill. I have a
good recent reference where she discusses this. She reports, with
plenty of references (which I've omitted) that:
"Deaf children exposed to signed languages from birth acquire
these languages on an identical maturational time table as
hearing children acquire spoken languages. Deaf children
acquiring signed languages do so without any modification, loss,
or delay to the timing, content, and maturational course
associated with reaching all linguistic milestones observed in
spoken languages" (Petitto, 2000, 447)."
She has more to say on the topic, but that sounds like enough to
answer the question.
Petitto, BTW, was a student of Terrace's and, while still an
undergraduate, had the privilege (and pain) of being one of
famous Nim Chimpsky's primary trainers. Her interesting website
is at: http://www.psych.mcgill.ca/faculty/petitto/petitto.html.
The paper I quoted is available there, as well as others.
-Stephen
Petitto, L. (2000). On the biological foundations of human
language. In: H Lane & K. Emmorey (Eds). The signs of
language revisited, LEA.
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Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661
Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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