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Early words of blind children*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

Ann Bigelow
Ann Bigelow*
Affiliation:
St. Francis Xavier University
*
Department of Psychology, St Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 1Co, Canada
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Abstract

The first 50 words of three blind children were collected and analysed using procedures used by Nelson (1973) on 18 sighted children. The early vocabulary of the blind children paralleled that of the sighted children in the age and speed of acquisition, and in the underlying characteristics of what the children chose to label. These reflect a sensorimotor organization in which self-action and perceptual change are the salient variables. The early words of the blind children differed from those of sighted children in the percentage of words in each of Nelson's grammatical categories. This suggests differences in how the children use language. These differences are discussed as a function of the children's lack of vision and their particular language learning context.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , February 1987 , pp. 47 - 56
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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Footnotes

*

This research was funded by a grant from the St Francis Xavier University Research Council. Gratitude is expressed to the children who served as subjects and their families.

References

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