Language vs. Speech

shel90

shel90

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This is a great checklist to ensure that Deaf children are ready for oral-only educational programs or children already in oral-only programs to see if the programs are meeting their needs.

However, a section of it explains the difference between language and speech.

Language vs. Speech
Ø Language and speech are not synonymous.
Ø Language is a rule-governed set of arbitrary symbols that is socially shared
among people within a culture or community. Language can be encoded through
vocal/spoken words, through symbolic and meaningful visual/manual signs, and
through written form.
o Receptive language refers to how an individual understands language
(e.g. comprehends questions, statements, stories, etc.).
o Expressive language refers to how an individual uses language (e.g.
communicates needs, shares ideas, requests information, asks
questions, expresses thoughts or feelings, etc.).
Ø Speech involves articulate utterance of vocal sounds to produce distinctive
words. It requires the coordination

http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site2143/Documents/transition.pdf

So many people out there have this misconception that good speech equates to having good language skills. As it is stated, they are not the same thing.

That's why deaf children learning ASL and having a strong foundation in ASL do have language even though some of them dont have speech skills.
 
What a wonderful resource. Wow! I also saw some links that I will check out soon. I'm going to have to start a Shel90 file to store all of your cool stuff :).

Thanks for sharing!!! I WILL be using it as a resource and will bring it to my IEP meetings so if the parents bring up the options of moving into an oral education or mainstream setting, the checklist will help facilitate the discussion. So many parents (and professionals) think speech and language are the same thing, which is frustrating trying to explain over and over that they are not the same.

I might PM you later on with some questions, if that's ok. :)
 
Exactly, shel. Thanks for the resource. People do need to understand that language acquisition and learning to speak are not the same thing, and one can speak well and still suffer the consequences of language delay.
 
shel90 said:
This is a great checklist to ensure that Deaf children are ready for oral-only educational programs or children already in oral-only programs to see if the programs are meeting their needs.

However, a section of it explains the difference between language and speech.

Language vs. Speech
Ø Language and speech are not synonymous.
Ø Language is a rule-governed set of arbitrary symbols that is socially shared
among people within a culture or community. Language can be encoded through
vocal/spoken words, through symbolic and meaningful visual/manual signs, and
through written form.
o Receptive language refers to how an individual understands language
(e.g. comprehends questions, statements, stories, etc.).
o Expressive language refers to how an individual uses language (e.g.
communicates needs, shares ideas, requests information, asks
questions, expresses thoughts or feelings, etc.).
Ø Speech involves articulate utterance of vocal sounds to produce distinctive
words. It requires the coordination

http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site2143/Documents/transition.pdf

So many people out there have this misconception that good speech equates to having good language skills. As it is stated, they are not the same thing.

That's why deaf children learning ASL and having a strong foundation in ASL do have language even though some of them dont have speech skills.
Click to expand...

Excellent post. Too many people think speech = good language skills.
 
deafbajagal said:
What a wonderful resource. Wow! I also saw some links that I will check out soon. I'm going to have to start a Shel90 file to store all of your cool stuff :).

Thanks for sharing!!! I WILL be using it as a resource and will bring it to my IEP meetings so if the parents bring up the options of moving into an oral education or mainstream setting, the checklist will help facilitate the discussion. So many parents (and professionals) think speech and language are the same thing, which is frustrating trying to explain over and over that they are not the same.

I might PM you later on with some questions, if that's ok. :)
Click to expand...

Sure that would be fine! Feel free! :)
 
jillio said:
Exactly, shel. Thanks for the resource. People do need to understand that language acquisition and learning to speak are not the same thing, and one can speak well and still suffer the consequences of language delay.
Click to expand...

YW!

Yes, and I get so frustrated constantly trying to explain both here on AD and out there that language and speech are not the same thing.
 
Thanks for the post, a gem, Shel!

Theory of mind questions hit me when I read this. According to findings, oral deaf children with CI performs as bad as those with HA and late signing skills on those questions. TOM questions are good way to test and reveal lack of language skills and cognitive functions.

A typical theory of mind question pasted from "http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1136678

"A classic false belief paradigm is Wimmer and Perner's "Maxi task" (1983). The child is presented with a doll named "Maxi" and the experimenter tells the child that Maxi places his chocolate in "the cupboard". Maxi then goes away and the child is presented with a doll to represent Maxi's mother. The experimenter describes how Maxi's mother takes the chocolate and puts it somewhere else, such as a box. The experimenter then describes how Maxi returns and his mother goes away again. The child is then asked two questions. There is the "memory question", which asks whether the child remembers where Maxi put the chocolate. Almost all children are able to answer this correctly. It does not rely on any sort of ideas of what others might be thinking. However, the false belief question does. The experimenter asks the child; "Where will Maxi look for his chocolate?" Only about 40% of 4-5 years olds answered the false belief question correctly. The rest said that Maxi would look in the chocolate's new location."
 
TOM is a definate concern when testing for laguage fluency, delays, and the negative effects on cognitive processing.
 
Yes and to too many people in the medical field do not understand the importance of that and end up neglecting deaf children's language development for the sake of making them assimilate them into the hearing world as much as they can. Glad that finally one is taking note of it.
 
deafskeptic said:
Excellent post. Too many people think speech = good language skills.
Click to expand...

Not just hearing people either. I was talking about language skills in my class the other day and one of my students asked "MEAN TALKING?" (This is a class of all deaf students taught in ASL and speech is not required, although they can and do talk if they want to.)
 
Interpretrator said:
Not just hearing people either. I was talking about language skills in my class the other day and one of my students asked "MEAN TALKING?" (This is a class of all deaf students taught in ASL and speech is not required, although they can and do talk if they want to.)
Click to expand...

**sad**
 
If i had to choose between the two... I would prefer to teach language than speech.
 
jillio said:
**sad**
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's said that even many deaf in this day and age don't realize that ASL is a language. It also say a lot about the bias toward spoken language and it's clear those students picked up on that.

I remember a lot of older deaf saying they had always thought sign was inferior to spoken language and this was before Stokes discovered that ASL.
 
deafskeptic said:
Yeah, it's said that even many deaf in this day and age don't realize that ASL is a language. It also say a lot about the bias toward spoken language and it's clear those students picked up on that.

I remember a lot of older deaf saying they had always thought sign was inferior to spoken language and this was before Stokes discovered that ASL.
Click to expand...

The results of oralism. Too many deaf have been given that impression by the oralists. As that is quite often the sum total of their experinece growing up,they are not only being deprived of a language, they are being provided incorrect information regarding sign language that leads to these negative attitudes.
 
deafskeptic said:
Yeah, it's said that even many deaf in this day and age don't realize that ASL is a language. It also say a lot about the bias toward spoken language and it's clear those students picked up on that.
Click to expand...

I should clarify that the students in my class are fluent in ASL and do know that it's a language. (And love to correct me when they think I've gotten something wrong, or help make up nonce signs, etc.) But about picking up on the bias towards spoken language, that's probably it. The funny thing is we emphasize so many English language skills in our program but we never, ever bother with speech or pronunciation so you'd think they would realize we don't consider speech as a necessary language skill. They must be getting it from their family or friends who are either hearing or very oral deaf.
 
Interpretrator said:
I should clarify that the students in my class are fluent in ASL and do know that it's a language. (And love to correct me when they think I've gotten something wrong, or help make up nonce signs, etc.) But about picking up on the bias towards spoken language, that's probably it. The funny thing is we emphasize so many English language skills in our program but we never, ever bother with speech or pronunciation so you'd think they:/t from their family or friends who are either hearing or very oral deaf.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the the clarification. I must say that the bias toward signed language is insidious and your students are a perfect example of how this affects them. Sad, huh?
 
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