Acquisition reversal : the effects of postlingual deafness in Yoruba / by Olanike Ola Orie.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Orie, Ọlanikẹ-Ọla.

Series:

Studies on language acquisition ; 47.

Studies on language acquisition ; 47

Studies on Language Acquisition [SOLA] , 1861-4248 ; 47

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Postlingual deafness--Patients--Rehabilitation--Nigeria.

Postlingual deafness.

Yoruba language--Phonology.

Yoruba language.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (294 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This is the first comprehensive account of prolonged hearing loss and its impact on a language that was once spoken fluently. Although it is currently assumed that hearing loss results in speech deterioration, it is shown that language loss occurs when speakers remain deaf for a long time. The reader is introduced to a significant deaf population - postlingually deafened Yoruba speakers who have been deaf for more than twenty years and who have no access to hearing aids or speech therapy. After becoming deaf, they continue to speak Yoruba from memory and "hear" visually through lip reading. These speakers exhibit phonological, lexical and syntactic losses which mirror acquisition patterns attested in the speech of Yoruba children. Based on these similarities, it is argued that a direct link exists between language loss and first language acquisition. It is further argued that prolonged deafness results in language reversal. Finally, the book presents the first description of the sign language and gestures used by deafened speakers to augment their spoken language. These findings will be of value to linguists, speech, language and hearing therapists, anthropologists, Africanists, deaf studies researchers, and non-specialists who are interested in hearing health and wellness.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Chapter 1. Postlingual Deafness

Chapter 2. The Yoruba: the people and their language

Chapter 3. Deafness, Societal Attitude, and Language Adaptation

Chapter 4. Yoruba Sign Language: A Basic Description

Chapter 5. Postlingual Deafness at Age 5: Patterns of Loss after 25 Years

Chapter 6. Postlingual Deafness at Age 8: Patterns of Loss after 25 Years

Chapter 7. The Connection of Postlingual Deafness Language Loss to Acquisition

Chapter 8. Summary, Suggestions for Rehabilitation and Further Research

References

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781283856782

1283856786

9781614510451

1614510458

OCLC:

821198758