Widening the Lens on Language Learning: Language Creation in Deaf Children and Adults in Nicaragua Commentary on Senghas

摘要

Children around the globe learn language under a wide range of circumstances, and they do it remarkably well. The premise of this special issue is that we can glean insights about language learning from children who learn language under special circumstances that we cannot gain from children learning language under typical circumstances. Indeed, much can be learned about the child's contributions to lan-guage learning by varying either the learner or the learning environment [e.g., Gleit-man & Newport, 1996]. Because we cannot experimentally vary the circumstances under which children learn language, we need to take advantage of naturally occur-ring variations - children learning language under special circumstances.