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Article published In:
Functions of Language
Vol. 25:2 (2018) ► pp.289–322

Flemish Sign Language development

A case study on Deaf mother – deaf child interactions

| Ghent University
| Ghent University
| KU Leuven
| Ghent University

This case study provides a first exploratory study on the early Flemish Sign Language acquisition of a deaf infant from the perspective of Halliday’s Systemic Functional Theory. It highlights some remarkable aspects of sign language acquisition with respect to interpersonal interaction between the child and its mother. The free play interactions of the Deaf mother and her moderately deaf daughter were recorded when the child was 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months old. These interactions were annotated in ELAN and transcribed in view of the analysis adapting Systemic Functional Linguistics. The analysis indicates that the early sign language development of the child chronologically correlates with Halliday’s descriptions of the universal functions of language. The infant’s first lexical signs appeared at 12 months. The child produced one-sign utterances (12 months and older), one-sign utterances along with a pointing sign (18 months and older) and two-sign utterances (24 months). The mother integrated attentional strategies to redirect the child’s attention. She also adopted techniques that are appropriate for child-directed signing, i.e. questions, recasts and expansions.

Article outline
  • 1.Background
  • 2.Research questions
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Participants’ profiles
    • 3.2Data collection
      • 3.2.1Setting
      • 3.2.2Instruments
    • 3.3Analysis
    • 3.4Ethics committee
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1The face-to-face interactions
      • 4.1.1Attentional strategies
      • 4.1.2Pointing behaviour
      • 4.1.3Lexical level: The child’s manual and mouth activities
      • 4.1.4Lexical level: The mother’s manual and mouth activities
      • 4.1.5Child-directed signing
    • 4.2Developmental path
      • 4.2.1Six months
      • 4.2.2Nine months
      • 4.2.3Twelve months
      • 4.2.4Eighteen months
      • 4.2.5Twenty-four months
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1The face-to-face interactions
      • 5.1.1Attentional strategies
      • 5.1.2Pointing behaviour
      • 5.1.3Lexical level: The child’s manual and mouth activities
      • 5.1.4Lexical level: The mother’s manual and mouth activities
      • 5.1.5Child-directed signing
    • 5.2Sign language developmental path
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 19 October 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/fol.15010.wil
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