What does bilingualism mean for people with hearing impairments?
For people with hearing impairments, bilingualism means speaking two languages—sign language and spoken language. They switch flexibly back and forth between the two languages, creating a vibrant mix of languages. At the same time, however, bilingualism also means that people think and feel bilingually.
The Diversity of Sign Language
Sign language is a colorful and diverse language. Facial expressions, gestures, and body language all help convey language and emotions. But what many people don’t know is that, just like spoken languages, sign languages can be divided into national languages and regional dialects. Furthermore, sign language is a fully-fledged language system with its own grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary.
Bilingual Early Intervention
Bilingual early intervention for children with hearing impairments means that both sign language and spoken language are promoted and used. The goal of bilingual early intervention is to create an optimal foundation for communication through the use of sign language.
As early as around eight months of age, babies can begin to learn and use their first signs. Learning spoken language is therefore much easier. Words and their meanings are additionally explained visually and linked accordingly in the brain. This helps develop language awareness more effectively, allowing the child to develop emotionally, socially, and intellectually in the best possible way.
Learning Languages
Parents with hearing impairments usually communicate with their children in sign language from the very beginning. Children thus acquire sign language in a natural environment and quite effortlessly through everyday interaction. In contrast, children whose primary caregivers do not know sign language have a much harder time. They must learn signs actively and consciously through intensive practice.
The same applies to learning spoken language. Children with hearing impairments cannot hear themselves and therefore do not know what their own voice sounds like. As a result, they learn to speak purely through technical means. They must know exactly how a sound is produced and which speech organs (breathing, tongue, lips, teeth, vocal cords, etc.) perform which function.
Interaction is important
A hearing-impaired child can only acquire spoken language actively and through positive, meaningful interaction with other people. Effective communication and interaction are essential for motivating the child to engage in the challenging process of learning to speak. The foundation for learning to speak is curiosity, an interest in communication, and a sense of confidence in interacting with others through language.
For more information, see, for example, the website of the German Federation of the Deaf or the information page for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
