Date of Award
Spring 4-14-2011
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Gaurav Mather
Second Advisor
Daniel Koo
Third Advisor
Deborah Maxwell McCaw
Abstract
Common criteria for a native ASL signer include exposure to ASL from birth and having Deaf parents. This study questions the necessity of the second criterion by comparing two groups: 16 Deaf adults with Deaf parents and exposed to ASL from birth, and 16 Deaf adults with hearing parents and exposed to ASL before age two. All determined whether pairs of pseudosigns, sometimes differing in phonological details, matched. The two groups did not differ significantly on accuracy, but the first group responded faster than the second group on average. These findings suggest processing differences between the two groups, but otherwise the criterion of having Deaf parents is not necessary for achieving native-like accuracy on a test of phonological perception.
Recommended Citation
DeAndrea-Lazarus, Ian, "Comparing Deaf Native Signers and Deaf Early Signers with Respect to Phonological Perception" (2011). Undergraduate University Honors Capstones. 20.
https://ida.gallaudet.edu/honors_capstones/20
Included in
American Sign Language Commons, First and Second Language Acquisition Commons, Phonetics and Phonology Commons
