Mechanisms of Vocabulary Acquisition Persist under Variable Language Experience
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| Title: | Mechanisms of Vocabulary Acquisition Persist under Variable Language Experience |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Amelia A. Becker (ORCID |
| Source: | Developmental Science. 2026 29(3). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS) National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) |
| Contract Number: | DC018279 2234787 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Language Acquisition, Vocabulary, Deafness, Children, Early Experience, Sign Language, Hearing (Physiology), Child Caregivers, Linguistic Input |
| DOI: | 10.1111/desc.70169 |
| ISSN: | 1363-755X 1467-7687 |
| Abstract: | Deaf children with hearing caregivers are uniquely at risk for incomplete and/or delayed first language exposure: their spoken language access is often incomplete, and hearing caregivers who choose to learn a sign language usually begin after their child's diagnosis. Limited access to language during early childhood delays language learning. However, it is unclear whether the mechanisms underpinning vocabulary acquisition, reflected in sensitivity to various lexical properties, are also impacted by variability in early language experience. In this study, we compared the composition of early signed vocabularies among deaf children with deaf signing caregivers (N = 115) to those with hearing caregivers (N = 122). Although children with hearing caregivers had smaller vocabularies, their vocabularies were largely similar in composition to those of the group with deaf caregivers along all tested properties (phonological neighborhood density, iconicity, morphosyntactic, and semantic categories) except for frequency and the categories of predicates and action signs. Infrequent signs, predicates, and action signs were underrepresented in the vocabularies of deaf children with hearing caregivers compared to those with deaf caregivers. These findings indicate that when children are provided early and accessible language input, the cognitive tools driving their lexicon building remain robust, even in the face of variability in many aspects of their language experience. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Notes: | https://github.com/AmeliaBecker3/VariableLanguageAcquisition |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1504404 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Deaf children with hearing caregivers are uniquely at risk for incomplete and/or delayed first language exposure: their spoken language access is often incomplete, and hearing caregivers who choose to learn a sign language usually begin after their child's diagnosis. Limited access to language during early childhood delays language learning. However, it is unclear whether the mechanisms underpinning vocabulary acquisition, reflected in sensitivity to various lexical properties, are also impacted by variability in early language experience. In this study, we compared the composition of early signed vocabularies among deaf children with deaf signing caregivers (N = 115) to those with hearing caregivers (N = 122). Although children with hearing caregivers had smaller vocabularies, their vocabularies were largely similar in composition to those of the group with deaf caregivers along all tested properties (phonological neighborhood density, iconicity, morphosyntactic, and semantic categories) except for frequency and the categories of predicates and action signs. Infrequent signs, predicates, and action signs were underrepresented in the vocabularies of deaf children with hearing caregivers compared to those with deaf caregivers. These findings indicate that when children are provided early and accessible language input, the cognitive tools driving their lexicon building remain robust, even in the face of variability in many aspects of their language experience. |
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| ISSN: | 1363-755X 1467-7687 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/desc.70169 |
