LINGUIST List 2.399

Sunday, 11 August 1991

Disc: Babbling

Editor for this issue: <>

Directory

1. John Coleman, RE: Babbling
2. Fan mail from some flounder?, Re: Babbling
3. Vicki Fromkin, Re: Babbling
4. William McKellin, Re: Manual Babbling: A Response from Petitto

David Stampe asks:
>Have usage or facts changed so that it now makes sense to speak of "babbling in
 X"?
His question arises I think from a confusion about the term "sign language",
which is used with several different meanings e.g. "the particular sign
language spoken where I live", "sign language(s) in general", or
(most relevant) to the babbling issue "the sign MODALITY", i.e.
sign as opposed to speech or writing. So with this third sense it makes
as much sense to say "babbling in sign language" as "babbling in the
vocal modality" or (perish the thought, should it ever happen) "babbling
in writing" (!).
--- John Coleman

David Stampe's point (that babbling in X, where X is a language, is a
contradiction in terms) is well taken. However, I think the main point of
Petitto's argument is that X is not a language but a modality, in which case
gestural babbling would be no more a contradiction than vocal babbling.
Susan Fischer

to David Stampe: See the Science article -- important point is that
deaf children's gestures when exposed to sign immediately are qualitatively
different from hearing children's, and are non-random, showing the
linguistic elements. V

Has anyone looked at babbling in deaf-blind children?
I would like a re-print of the article, but I couldn't make out the
return address.
Prof. Bill McKellin mckeunixg.ubc.ca
Department of Anthropology and Sociology
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, B.C.
V6T 1Z1