Iconicity and sign vocabulary acquisition

This study was designed to investigate learning and retention of isolated sign vocabulary as a function of sign classification (iconic, opaque, or abstract). The subjects were 28 hearing college students naive to sign vocabulary. They were drilled with 30 signs from American Sign Language that had been classified as iconic, opaque, or abstract. Training was conducted using two different media: computer-assisted instruction and videotaped presentation. Performance scores for the three types of signs were significantly different. Scores were consistently higher for iconic signs, regardless of the training mode. The videotaped presentation mode produced the greatest consistency in scores. The results of this study support the notion that it is easier for beginning students of sign language to learn and retain iconic signs.     

E-book as facilitator of vocabulary acquisition: support of adults,dynamic dictionary and static dictionary

We investigated the effects of three facilitators: adults’ support, dynamic visual vocabulary support and static visual vocabulary support on vocabulary acquisition in the context of e-book reading. Participants were 144 Israeli Hebrew-speaking preschoolers (aged 4–6) from middle SES neighborhoods. The entire sample read the e-book without a dictionary once, and was pretested on receptive word comprehension, expressive word explanation and word production in story retelling. The sample was then randomly divided into four groups, each reading an e-book three times, with: (1) adults’ vocabulary support; (2) dynamic visual dictionary support; (3) static visual dictionary support; or (4) without support. The participants were then posttested on the same measures. Children’s progress in all measures was dependent on group, with adults’ support appearing as most effective, dynamic dictionary as second, static dictionary as third, and no support as least effective. However, the gains differed significantly only between some of the groups, but were always significantly different between the group given adults’ support and the control group which was given no support. We conclude that e-books can be used effectively to facilitate word meaning acquisition at different levels. This contribution can be augmented by adults’ support and dynamic dictionary support.     

The effects of incidental teaching on vocabulary acquisition by young children

The effects on vocabulary acquisition of child-initiated versus adult-initiated instances of adult labeling were studied. 16 monolingual, English-speaking preschool children were exposed to a Spanish-speaking adult. In order to have access to toys placed out of their reach, children had to request the toys in Spanish. For the experimental group, adult labeling occurred when the children expressed interest in the toy. Control group children were yoked temporally to experimental group children for the purpose of adult labeling. Thus, adult labeling for the control group was randomly related to the children's expressions of interest. Although both groups of children learned some Spanish words, children in the experimental group produced significantly more Spanish words during the training sessions and showed superior performance on posttraining tests of Spanish production. Levels of comprehension of the Spanish words were equivalent for both groups. Results are interpreted in the context of the literature on "incidental teaching" and are viewed as demonstrating the critical role in language acquisition of the timing of exposure to language models.     

Developmental milestones: sign language acquisition and motor development

The sign language and motor development of 11 young children of deaf parents were studied across a 16-month period. The subjects showed accelerated early language development producing, on the average, their first recognizable sign at 8.5 months, their tenth sign at 13.2 months, and their first sign combination at 17.0 months. In contrast, children learning to speak typically do not attain the equivalent spoken language milestones until 2-3 months later. The structure and content of the subjects' 50-sign vocabularies closely resembled those for children at the same stage in previously published studies of spoken language acquisition. The pattern of synchrony between motor and language development previously reported by investigators of children learning to speak was found not to apply to the population of the present study: most of the subjects learning to sign did not slow down in their rate of language acquisition after achieving a new motor milestone, but rather continued to show a gradual increase in the size of their sign language vocabularies.     

Networking vs. rote learning strategies in concept acquisition

Following presentation of a slide-tape instructional program, the performance of subjects in two learning strategy groups-networking and rote-was compared to a control group on a concept learning task and a spatial learning task. Networking proved more effective than rote learning and the control group on both tasks; networking also allowed for improved retention over time (in this case, one week). This article reviews some of the research on learning strategies and suggests how the network strategy can enhance learning in academic situations.     

Keywords and vocabulary acquisition: Some words of caution about words of assistance

Consistent results of two experiments with relatively technical, native language vocabulary, showed that effectiveness of keyword methods depended upon whether meanings of words to be learned were abstract or concrete and whether comprehension was assessed immediately or after a delay. Keywords bearing acoustical similarities to vocabulary items whose meanings were presented as sentences consistently facilitated students’ retention of the meanings of concrete items on immediate posttests. However, in contrast to recent research on foreign language vocabulary having simpler definitions, these experiments showed that it may be difficult to use the keyword method to aid long-term retention with moderately complex. abstract, native language vocabulary. Parts of this study, which was partially supported by the Kansas State University Bureau of General Research, were presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Boston, 1980.     

Speaking up for vocabulary: reading skill differences in young adults

This study is part of a broader project aimed at developing cognitive and neurocognitive profiles of adolescent and young adult readers whose educational and occupational prospects are constrained by their limited literacy skills. We explore the relationships among reading-related abilities in participants ages 16 to 24 years spanning a wide range of reading ability. Two specific questions are addressed: (a) Does the simple view of reading capture all nonrandom variation in reading comprehension? (b) Does orally assessed vocabulary knowledge account for variance in reading comprehension, as predicted by the lexical quality hypothesis? A comprehensive battery of cognitive and educational tests was employed to assess phonological awareness, decoding, verbal working memory, listening comprehension, reading comprehension, word knowledge, and experience with print. In this heterogeneous sample, decoding ability clearly played an important role in reading comprehension. The simple view of reading gave a reasonable fit to the data, although it did not capture all of the reliable variance in reading comprehension as predicted. Orally assessed vocabulary knowledge captured unique variance in reading comprehension even after listening comprehension and decoding skill were accounted for. We explore how a specific connectionist model of lexical representation and lexical access can account for these findings.     

英语词典同义词释义方式探析——从学习者词汇语义习得的角度

同义词释义是英语词典最常用的释义方式之一。对学习者而言,这种释义方式对其词汇语义习得有利亦有弊。词典编纂者应当重视这个问题,扬长避短,使得词典更好地为学习者服务。     

Developmental relationships in the acquisition of English syntax: writing vs. speech

The acquisition of English morpho-syntactic elements was studied in five adult L2 learners, all native speakers of Spanish, while they were enrolled in a pre-university intensive English program. Data were elicited through a variety of paired oral and written tasks over a three and a half month semester. Samples were analyzed to determine whether speech or writing served as the primary source of morpho-syntactic innovation. The five subjects demonstrated notable differences in their patterns of language development across both modalities. In general, however, writing appeared to be the preferred medium for the emergence of new morpho-syntactic forms and for the development of grammatical accuracy.     

Phonological working memory: A critical building block for reading development and vocabulary acquisition?

In this article we review findings from a recent longitudinal study of the contribution of phonological working memory to vocabulary acquisition and reading development. A total of 80 children were tested initially at school entry at the age of four years, and were tested in three further waves at ages 5, 6, and 8 years. The results indicate that phonological memory skills constrain vocabulary growth during the first year or so in school but that subsequently, vocabulary knowledge is a pacemaker in the development relationship with memory. Phonological memory skill in prereading children was found to be significantly linked with scores on a reading test at age 8 which encourages the use of a phonological recoding strategy. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings, and important areas for future research, are discussed.     

Infants with congenital deafness: on the importance of early sign language acquisition

Two boys who both had a profound bilateral hearing impairment met at a specialized sign preschool. Their preconditions were quite different, since in one of them the hearing impairment was detected in the maternity ward with the aid of otoacoustic emissions, and habilitation had begun at age 4 months. The other boy's impairment was not detected until age 2 years; habilitation was thus much delayed. Data were collected on the two boys using interviews with parents and teachers, observation, and video recording in the children's own environment at home and in the specialized sign preschool. Characteristic differences between the boys are described regarding their social and linguistic development relating to the time of detection of the hearing impairment. This illustrates the importance of early detection and habilitation so as to avoid separation of individuals into different groups with differing social and academic prospects, depending on the lack of early linguistic stimulation and consequent poor language acquisition. Giving children the possibility of developing a language is the primary consideration.     

Incidental vocabulary acquisition from listening to stories: a comparison between read-aloud and free storytelling approaches

Shared-book reading is a well-established intervention to foster vocabulary development. Factors influencing its effectiveness are, however, less well studied, particularly with regard to story-delivery. We contrasted a read-aloud with a free storytelling approach and tested effects on vocabulary learning. In the first study, 83 preschoolers aged three to six were told six stories in a randomised, single-blind and counterbalanced design. Stories were either read aloud or told freely and included rare target-words. Measures of target-word acquisition, receptive vocabulary, phonological working memory and speech comprehension were administered. There was a small to moderate learning gain (d = .37), but no effect of story-delivery. In a second study, 24 of the youngest and 24 of the oldest participants were tested again, using the same procedure but with stories designed to be more intrinsically motivating and age-appropriate. Results indicated negligible vocabulary gains (d = .08) and no effect of story-delivery, except for small differences in child behaviour during storytelling.     

Verbal and spatial analogical reasoning in deaf and hearing children: the role of grammar and vocabulary

The extent to which cognitive development and abilities are dependent on language remains controversial. In this study, the analogical reasoning skills of deaf and hard of hearing children are explored. Two groups of children (deaf and hard of hearing children with either cochlear implants or hearing aids and hearing children) completed tests of verbal and spatial analogical reasoning. Their vocabulary and grammar skills were also assessed to provide a measure of language attainment. Results indicated significant differences between the deaf and hard of hearing children (regardless of type of hearing device) and their hearing peers on vocabulary, grammar, and verbal reasoning tests. Regression analyses revealed that in the group of deaf and hard of hearing children, but not in the hearing group, the language measures were significant predictors of verbal analogical reasoning, when age and spatial analogical reasoning ability were controlled for. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Differences in arithmetic subtraction of nonsymbolic numerosities by deaf and hearing adults

Previous research has demonstrated that both hearing adults and hearing children with no training in arithmetic successfully performed approximate arithmetic on large sets of elements. Here, the possibility is explored that the same phenomenon can be confirmed in deaf adults who have acquired a signed language as their first language. Results reveal that they can perform simple arithmetic subtraction on nonsymbolic numerosities. Their performance levels were even higher than those of hearing adults who participated in the experiment as a control group. On the other hand, the performance levels of subtraction of the deaf adults in the formal mathematics were lower than those of the hearing adults. The findings are argued in terms of the characteristics of cognitive capabilities the deaf adults acquired through their development.