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Part of
Understanding Deafness, Language and Cognitive Development: Essays in honour of Bencie Woll
Edited by Gary Morgan
[Trends in Language Acquisition Research 25] 2020
► pp. 93–113

Chapter 6
Age of acquisition effects in language development

The most accessible language for deaf children is generally a sign language, but few children have input in sign languages early in life. Late first-language acquisition of a sign language reveals age of acquisition effects that must be taken into consideration by linguistic theories of acquisition. When deaf children access spoken language through a cochlear implant, age of acquisition effects can again be seen, and the presence or absence of sign language is an important factor in language outcomes. Finally, the development of a sign language as a second language in unique contexts such as that of Christopher, a polyglot savant, can reveal more about the nature of language development and the theories of language structure that must be posited.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Language domains and critical period effects
    • 2.2Modality effects and age effects
  • 3.Late L1 acquisition of sign languages
  • 4.Deaf children with cochlear implants
  • 5.Sign language acquisition in an atypical case: What Christopher can tell us
    • The evidence: Christopher’s signed and spoken languages
  • 6.Conclusions and implications
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 26 February 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tilar.25.06lil
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