LINGUIST List 15.685

Tue Feb 24 2004

Diss: Psycholing: Niederberger: 'Linguistic...'

Editor for this issue: Tomoko Okuno <tomokolinguistlist.org>

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1. Nathalie.Niederberger, Linguistic proficiency of the deaf bilingual child ...

Institution: University of Geneva
Program: Department of Psychology
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2004

Author: Nathalie Niederberger

Dissertation Title:

Linguistic proficiency of the deaf bilingual child in French Sign
Language Capacit�s langagi�res en langue des signes fran�aise et en
fran�ais �crit chez l'enfant sourd bilingue: quelles relations?

Linguistic Field: Psycholinguistics, Language Acquisition

Subject Language:
French (code: FRN)
French Sign Language (code: FSL)
Swiss-french Sign Language (code: SSR)

Subject Language Family: Sign Language 

Dissertation Director 1: Ulrich Frauenfelder


Dissertation Abstract:

Most deaf children have very poor oral and written language skills,
whereas their signing abilities are equivalent to those normally
developed by hearing children in their first language, provided they
are exposed to sign language early. We studied the relationship
between these capacities in French Sign Language and written French of
bilingual deaf children from the French-speaking part of
Switzerland. The developing capacities of 39 subjects were tested in
both comprehension and production, at the morpho-syntactic and
discourse levels. Other factors that may play a role in the
development of these skills (such as oral French, cognitive
capacities, demographics) were taken into account as well. Results
showed a positive and highly significant link between the capacities
developed in written French and French Sign Language. The relationship
was stronger in comprehension than in production, and also stronger at
the discourse level than the morpho-syntactic level. In addition, the
skills developed in oral language also appeared to be an important
factor in this interaction.


Les capacit�s en langue orale et �crite de la majorit� des enfants
sourds sont tr�s d�ficitaires, contrairement aux capacit�s que ceux-ci
d�veloppent en langue des signes en cas d'exposition pr�coce. Le
rapport entre ces diff�rentes capacit�s langagi�res a �t� �tudi� chez
des enfants sourds bilingues de Suisse Romande, en Langue des Signes
Fran�aise et en fran�ais �crit. Les capacit�s de 39 sujets ont �t�
�valu�es, en production et en compr�hension, au niveau discursif et
morpho-syntaxique. D'autres facteurs pouvant influencer ces capacit�s
(fran�ais oral, capacit�s cognitives, caract�ristiques familiales et
scolaires) ont aussi �t� consid�r�s. Les r�sultats montrent un lien
positif et tr�s significatif entre les capacit�s d�velopp�es en
fran�ais �crit et en Langue des Signes Fran�aise. La relation semble
plus importante en compr�hension qu'en production, et sur le plan
discursif que sur le plan morpho-syntaxique. En outre, les capacit�s
langagi�res orales paraissent un facteur �galement important dans
cette interaction.