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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 0000-0002-7997-6692), Jennie E. Pyers, Naomi E. Caselli
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
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  Data: Mechanisms of Vocabulary Acquisition Persist under Variable Language Experience
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Amelia+A%2E+Becker%22">Amelia A. Becker</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7997-6692">0000-0002-7997-6692</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jennie+E%2E+Pyers%22">Jennie E. Pyers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Naomi+E%2E+Caselli%22">Naomi E. Caselli</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Developmental+Science%22"><i>Developmental Science</i></searchLink>. 2026 29(3).
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  Data: 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
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  Data: National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS)<br />National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Acquisition%22">Language Acquisition</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Vocabulary%22">Vocabulary</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Deafness%22">Deafness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Children%22">Children</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+Experience%22">Early Experience</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sign+Language%22">Sign Language</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hearing+%28Physiology%29%22">Hearing (Physiology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Child+Caregivers%22">Child Caregivers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Linguistic+Input%22">Linguistic Input</searchLink>
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  Data: 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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  Data: As Provided
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  Data: https://github.com/AmeliaBecker3/VariableLanguageAcquisition
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  Data: 2026
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      – SubjectFull: Deafness
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      – SubjectFull: Linguistic Input
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