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Communication Terms
A Glossary of the terms
Communication Terms
Glossary
The following names and phrases are often used when people
talk about communication.
Auralism
An approach to communication which concentrates on listening skills. For a
fuller definition, see ‘Natural Auralism’.
Bilingualism
The bi-lingual child is one who is learning and using two languages,
whatever the level of achievement in the languages at any given point in
time.
Body Language
All kinds of communication include body language. Facial expression,
gestures with the hands, body posture, and rate of breathing are all
examples of body language.
Communication
When we exchange information, we are communicating. Communication is
concerned both with producing language and with being able to understand
language.
Communication Skills
This is a very general tern used to describe the skills needed for all kinds of
communication. Sign, speech, lipreading and so on are all types of
communication skills.
Cued Speech
Some words look very similar when they are lipread by deaf people but
sound different to hearing people, e.g. pat and but. Cued speech uses one
hand placed near the mouth and a variety of hand shapes to show the
difference. It is always used with speech.
Fingerspelling
Each of the letters of the alphabet is represented by a different hand
Notes
Notes
position. In Ireland, we use a one-handed version, but in the UK, most
people use a two-handed alphabet.
Home Language
This is the language which is used by the Deaf child’s parents in the home.
Examples of home languages are English, Irish and Sign Language.
Irish Sign Language (ISL)
The sign language which is used by the Deaf community in Ireland. It uses
gestures of the hands and the rest of the body including the face, and is a
visual language both in the way it is used and in the way it is understood.
ISL is an independent language with a structure and grammar different from
that of English. It cannot be used at the same time as spoken English.
Language
Language is something we use to communicate with other people.
Languages are a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces of the puzzle are the
words, signs or non-verbal parts of the language. The way we put the
pieces together is called the “grammar” of the language.
Language Environment
The language that surrounds and is experienced by children. Children
absorb ways of using language from this environment, and also learn about
the way language is structured. This is the basis of further language
development.
Lipreading/Speechreading
When people speak, their lips make patterns. Lipreading or speechreading
is the ability to read these patterns. It is easier to lipread if there is some
“residual hearing” or if another system such as Cued Speech or Signed
Supported English is used as well.
It is not possible to distinguish all the sounds of speech from each other by
lipreading alone. A knowledge of the language is also extremely important
for successful lipreading.
Lipspeaking
Words are pronounced clearly but without sound.
Makaton
This is a sign system that is used with Deaf children who have additional
disabilities. It is useful in providing basic communication. It is structured in
stages of increasing complexity. The early stages consist of vocabulary
which allows the child to express basic needs. Later stages expand this and
more complex language is introduced. Makaton vocabulary is limited.
Manual System
This refers to any sign language or sign system.
Maternal Reflective
development of spoken language in the Deaf child, and make best use of
the child’s residual hearing and lipreading skills are known as Oralism.
Such approaches do not use signed communication to support the spoken
and written forms of English.
Paget Gorman Signed Speech
This is a sign system which is used at the same time as spoken language
to make clear the structure of the English language. It is now used mainly
with Deaf children who have additional language difficulties which are not a
result of deafness alone.
Residual Hearing
This refers to the hearing that a Deaf child has.
An approach which takes its pattern from how mothers of young hearing
children help the language development of their children. It emphasises the
importance of conversation for learning language and relies on the full use
of residual hearing and on writing as a support for what is said.
Signed English
Natural Auralism
Sign Supported English
The main effect of hearing loss is thought to be a delay in the rate at which
Deaf children learn and develop spoken language when compared to
hearing children. Natural Auralism stresses the importance of the full use of
hearing aids and/or radio aids and normal conversation for learning spoken
language.
Total Communication
Non-verbal communication
This is communication without speech.
Oral/Aural
This uses both oral and aural approaches to communication. Oral refers to
speaking and aural refers to listening.
Oralism
Approaches to the development of language which focus on the
This consists of signs taken from Irish Sign Language. It is used with
fingerspelling to give an exact manual representation of spoken English. It
is designed to be used at the same time as spoken English.
This is a sign support system which uses signs taken from Irish Sign
Language together with fingerspelling. It is used in English word order but it
does not attempt to sign every word that is spoken.
Sometimes using only one method of communication cannot provide total
understanding for a Deaf child. It is better to use an additional method to
assist or replace the first. Total communication stresses the equal
importance of all communication methods if a Deaf child is to gain complete
understanding of language.