Chapter 3
Acquisition
Imagine that hearing parents of a deaf child immediately start taking sign language lessons and using signs in the communication with their deaf infant. But quite quickly, the deaf child is implanted with a CI and the parents increasingly use Sign Supported English with their child. What will be the first language of this deaf child?
This exercise is a discussion exercise. It is possible to form two groups – one that supports the opinion that the sign language will be the first language and one that thinks that it will be the spoken language and let them debate.
There is no clear answer to this question. Sign Supported English or any other manually coded language is not a natural language. The spoken language is not immediately available from birth, but only once the child has been implanted. Although there is then early exposure to the spoken language, it will be important how much essential communication takes place in the early period using signing. The CI used can vary with respect to how much information it can provide, and some children can use the information from a CI better than other.