Language Learning

Almost everything we know about how people learn language is based on studies of hearing children learning a spoken language. That means that it is impossible to know what parts about language learning are about langauge, and which parts are specific to speech and hearing. Studying how children learn sign language lets us tease apart the aspects of acquisition are about modality from common principles about how the human mind learns language. This work is also critical for deaf children themselves, who are often at risk of limited access of language during early childhood. Understanding how deaf children learn language under different conditions helps us identify what support they need and when.