Research at
Gallaudet University
2005 - 2006

Describing Deaf English

Status: Ongoing Begin date: October 1, 2004 End date: No set date

Description

The use of function words in 135 essays written by deaf college underclassmen in developmental and credit-bearing English composition classes is described and compared with Standard English (SE) versions of the same essay. If student and SE versions were the same, this was considered mastery; if the student omitted a word, this was considered avoidance; and if the student added a word, this was considered overuse. The deaf students varied from SE more for function than for content words. They demonstrated very low mastery of independent clause markers, demonstratives, neuter pronouns, and modals related to possibility, but had relatively high mastery of number words, the first person singular, and some punctuation. These students strongly avoided some dependent clause markers, some demonstratives, the indefinite article, punctuation except for periods and commas, and the modal verbs may, might and should, but greatly overused other dependent clause markers, the second person and neuter pronouns, quantifiers, the verb do, and the modals could and will. They were also more likely to produce run-ons than fragments.

Investigators