Download Don`t Judge a Book by its Cover: Figurative Language

Don't Judge a Book by its
Cover:
Figurative Language Abilities in
Individuals with Hearing
Impairment
Gloria Schlisselberg
Amy Zuckerman
Trista DeFalco
Donna M. Bradley
ASHA Annual Convention, November 20, 2010
Challenges of Hearing
Impairment
 Communication areas at risk




Semantics
Morphology
Phonology
Syntax
 Deficits/Delays in above aspects can create problems
with development of metalinguistic abilities
Qualls & Harris (2003)
Current Research
 Hearing impairment (HI)=Greater risk for language
impairment (LI)
 Vocabulary deficits  metalinguistic difficulties
 Degree of language impairment is positively
correlated with degree of hearing loss
 No correlation between lexical knowledge and
levels of hearing loss
 No correlation between degree of loss and LI
 Two distinct groups
 Those with HI and LI
 Those with HI and typical language abilities
Wake, Hughes, Poulakis, Collins, & Rickards (2004); Berent, Kelly & Porter (2008);
Jerger, Damian, Tye-Murray, Dougherty, Mehta, & Spence (2006); Delage & Tuller (2007) ;
Blamey, Sarant, Paatsch, Barry, Bow, Wales, Wright, Psarros, Rattigan, & Tooher (2001);
Paatsch, Blamey & Sarant (2004); Gilbertson & Kamhi (1995); Hawker, RamirezInscoe, Bishop, Twomey, O’Donoghue, & Moore (2008); Rittenhouse & Kenyon (1991);
Wolgemuth, Kamhi, & Lee (1998)
Research Question &
Hypothesis
How will individuals with hearing impairment
perform on a metalinguistic task featuring
comprehension of idiomatic expressions?
Individuals with hearing impairment will, with
amplification or cochlear
implantation, demonstrate typical
metalinguistic abilities, specifically on
comprehension of idioms task
Idioms
 Idioms are a form of figurative language
 Occurrence




Spoken and written communication
Jokes/riddles
Classroom communication
Books/written materials
 Idioms are the most widely used of all figurative
language types
 Idioms are used 4.09 times per minute
 Comprehension of idioms begins in early childhood
 Continues throughout adulthood
 Repeated exposure to idioms leads to learning them
 Influenced by cultural experience
Nippold, M.A., & Duthie, J.K. (2003)
Method
 Case Studies
 Single-instrument with multiple items
 Participant criteria
 Inclusionary
 congenital hearing impairment
 confirmed through audiological evaluation
 amplification or implantation
 MAE as their primary language
 Exclusionary
 an identified language impairment
Participant Data
Procedures
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Approved IRB
Consent form
Case history
Script
Administration of vocabulary assessments



Expressive Vocabulary Test-2nd Edition (EVT-2)
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-4th Edition (PPVT-4)
Ten minute break
6. Idiom Task: Designed to assess comprehension
using three tasks
 Multiple choice
 Matching
 Fill-In with multiple choices
Multiple Choice Task
What does the following expression mean:
1.
2.
3.
“He didn’t bat an eye”?
a)
he didn’t show surprise
b)
he wasn’t happy
c)
he couldn’t see
“A dime a dozen”?
a)
common and easy to get
b)
rare and expensive
c)
a baker’s dozen
“ A piece of cake”?
a)
to include cake with a meal
b)
a sweet scenario
c)
accomplishing a task easily
Matching Task
Meaning
Idiom
1. to do whatever it takes to help
___to run like clockwork
2. to be extremely happy
___to grin and bear it
3. to endure something unpleasant
___to bend over backwards
4. to include everything
___to order the works
5. to happen privately
___to walk on air
6. to happen smoothly
___to be behind the scenes
Fill in the Blank Task
Please circle the answer that best completes the idiom:
I’m glad we agree, and we’re on the same ______.
A. team
B. page
C. road
He loves his daughter; she is the _____ of his eye.
A. apple
B. iris
C. light
Since it was her first offense, the judge gave her a slap
on the _____.
A. hand
B. foot
C. wrist
Test
Results
EVT (% tile) PPVT (% tile) Idiom Task (%)
100
90
80
S
c
o
r
e
s
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Participant A
Participant B
Participant C
Participants
Participant D
Discussion
 Idiom comprehension is a receptive taskmetalinguistic ability is not dependent upon
expressive language
 EVT is not an accurate predictor of idiom
comprehension; PPVT is a better predictor
 Speech-language intervention for people with
hearing impairment should focus on figurative
language and metalinguistic awareness
100
Comparisons of PPVT and Idiom Task
90
80
70
R
e
s
u
l
t
s
60
50
PPVT (% tile)
Idiom Task (%)
40
30
20
10
0
A
B
C
Participants
D
Limitations & Direction of
Future Research
 Small sample size
 Participant criteria should have controlled for:
 First language
 Education range
 Age range
 No control group of typically hearing peers
 Emphasis on lexical knowledge, not exposure to idioms
 Examine exposure to idioms in conjunction with lexical
knowledge
 Examine other aspects of language
 Group design
 Hearing impaired group
 Age-matched hearing group
References
Berent, G., Kelly, R., & Porter, J. (2008). Deaf learners’ knowledge of English universal quantifiers. Language
Learning, 58(2), 401-37.
Blamey, P. J., Sarant, J. Z., Paatsch, L. E., Barry, J. G., Bow, C. P., Wales, R. J., et al. (2001). Relationships among
speech perception, production, language, hearing loss, and age in children with impaired hearing.
JSLHR, 44, 264-285.
Delage, H. & Tuller, L. (2007). Language Development and mild to moderate hearing loss: Does language
normalize with age? JSLHR, 50, 1300-1313..
Gilbertson, M., & Kamhi, A. (1995). Novel word learning in children with hearing impairment. JSLHR, 38, 630642.
Hawker, Ramirez-Inscoe, Bishop, Twomey, O’Donoghue, & Moore. (2008). Disproportion-ate language
impairment in children using cochlear implants. Ear & Hearing ,29, 467-471.
Jerger, S. (2006). Effects of childhood hearing loss on organization of semantic memory: Typicality and
relatedness. Ear & Hearing, 26, 686-702.
Paatsch, L.E., Blamey, P.J., & Sarant, J.Z. (2004). Separating contributions of hearing, lexical knowledge, and
speech productions to speech-perception scores in with hearing impairments. JSLHR, 47,(4), 738-750.
imagery and idiom comprehension: a comparison of school-aged children and adults. JSLHR, 46, 788-799
Qualls, C.D. & Harris, J.L. (2003). Age, working memory, figurative language type, and reading ability:
Influencing factors in African American adults’ comprehension of figurative language. AJSLP, 12 (1), 92-101.
Rittenhouse, R., & Kenyon, P. (1991). Conservation and metaphor acquisition in hearing-impaired children:
Relationship with communication mode, hearing acuity, schooling, and age. American Annals of the Deaf,
136, 313-20.
Wake, M., Hughes, E. K., Poulakis, Z., Collins, C., & Rickards, F. W. (2004). Outcomes of children with mildprofound congenital hearing loss at 7 to 8 years: A population study. Ear and Hearing, 25, 1-8.
Wolgemuth, K. S., Kamhi, A. G., & Lee, R. F. (1998). Metaphor performance in children with hearing
impairment. LSHSS, 29, 216.