Relations of Language and Thought: The View from Sign Language and Deaf Children

by Marc Marschark, Patricia Siple, Diane Lillo-Martin, Ruth Campbell, Victoria S. Everhart

Overview

The relationship of language to cognition, especially in development, is an issue that has occupied philosophers, psychologists, and linguists for centuries. In recent years, the scientific study of sign languages and deaf individuals has greatly enhanced our understanding of deafness, language, and cognition. This Counterpoints volume considers the extent to which the use of sign language might affect the course and character of cognitive development, and presents a variety of viewpoints in this debate.
This volume brings the language-thought discussion into a clearer focus, both theoretically and practically, by placing it in the context of children growing up deaf and the influences of having sign language as their primary form of communication. The discussion is also sharpened by having internationally recognized contributors, such as Patricia Siple, Diane Lillo-Martin, and Ruth Campbell, with specialties in varied areas, all converging on a common interest in which each has conducted empirical research. These contributors clarify and challenge the theoretical assumptions that have driven arguments in the language-thought debate for centuries. An introduction by the editors provides a historical overview of the issues as well as a review of empirical findings that have been offered in response to questions about language-thought relations in deaf children. The final chapters are structured in the form of "live" debate, in which each contributor is given the opportunity to respond to the other perspectives presented in this volume.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195100570
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/14/1997
Series:	Counterpoints: Cognition, Memory, and Language
Edition description:	ON DEMAND
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

both at the National Institute for the Deaf and Rochester Institute of Technology

Table of Contents

Contributors1. Relations of Language and Cognition: What Do Deaf Children Tell Us?, Marc Marschark and Victoria S. Everhart2. Universals, Generalizability, and the Acquisition of Signed Language, Patricia Siple3. The Modular Effects of Sign Language Acquisition, Diane Lillo-Martin4. Read the Lips: Speculations on the Nature and Role of Lipreading in Cognitive Development of Deaf Children, Ruth Campbell5. Making Faces: Coextant Domains for Language and Visual Cognition, Ruth Campbell6. In Support of the Language Acquisition Device, Diane Lillo-Martin7. Modules and the Informational Encapsulation of Language Processes, Patricia Siple8. Models, Modules, and Modality, Victoria S. Everhart and Marc MarscharkIndex

Editorial Reviews

Contributors offer different perspectives on language and cognitive development in deaf children, drawing on research in theoretical linguistics, neuropsychology, parent-child interactions, and reading education. Topics include the modular effects of sign language acquisition, the nature and role of lip reading in cognitive development of deaf children, and modules and the informational encapsulation of language processes. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

"Both general academic readers and those who specialize in issues revolving around sign language will find the book valuable....The work is well integrated and focused, and the authors speak to one another's points."—Choice

From the Publisher