"Multilingual Situation in Language Acquisition of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children"
UENO Seigo
last update: 20151224
Multilingual Situation in Language Acquisition of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
UENO Seigo
Abstract:
The first purpose of this paper is reporting on the multilingual education of deaf and hard of hearing
children. They acquire and learn several languages: Japanese vocal language, Japanese writing language and
sign language (simultaneous communication and Japanese sign language). Up to this time, mainstream
education for language acquisition by deaf and hard of hearing children has emphasized the vocal, language-centered
method. We could see clear results from this method, but, we also became aware of many risks related
to it. So, in recent years, the value of sign language has been reaffirmed by teachers at deaf schools. The other
hand, due to the notable influence of cochlear implants, vocal language education has come to be highly
estimated again. Each method has its reasons and rights. What then should we think? The most important
matter for deaf and hard of hearing children is the benefit of acquired language in daily life. In other words, we
have to judge the issue from the perspective of "linguistic capital".
The second purpose of this paper is conducting a comparative analysis of each language from this view. This
paper discusses the benefits and risks of each language in the daily life of children.
Key words: multi-lingual, Japanese writing language, sign language, cochlear implants, linguistic capital