Biomaterial Database

Creative language abilities of deaf children. 1985

M Marschark, and S A West

The language flexibility and creativity of deaf children was investigated by having four deaf and four hearing 12-15-year-olds generate stories to experimenter-supplied themes. These were videotaped and examined for instances of nonliteral communication. Contrary to previous claims that deaf children are extremely rigid and literal in their language use, subjects here showed considerable use of creative language devices when evaluated in sign rather than vocal language. Deaf students produced traditional types of figurative contructions at a rate equal to their hearing age-mates and surpassed them in four other categories of nonliteral expression. These findings are discussed in terms of the cognitive skills required for and reflected by figurative language use and common assumptions concerning deaf children's related abilities.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007802	Language	A verbal or nonverbal means of communicating ideas or feelings.	Dialect,Dialects,Languages
D008037	Linguistics	The science of language, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and historical linguistics. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	Linguistic
D008297	Male		Males
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D003405	Creativity	The ability to generate new ideas or images.	Creativeness,Innovativeness,Originality,Artistic Creativity,Creative Ability,Creative Thinking,Ability, Creative,Creative Abilities,Creativity, Artistic,Thinking, Creative
D003638	Deafness	A general term for the complete loss of the ability to hear from both ears.	Deafness Permanent,Hearing Loss Permanent,Prelingual Deafness,Deaf Mutism,Deaf-Mutism,Deafness, Acquired,Hearing Loss, Complete,Hearing Loss, Extreme,Acquired Deafness,Complete Hearing Loss,Deafness, Prelingual,Extreme Hearing Loss,Permanent, Deafness,Permanent, Hearing Loss,Permanents, Deafness
D005260	Female		Females
D005868	Gestures	Movement of a part of the body for the purpose of communication.	Gesture
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths