A Follow-up Study on The Relation Between Acquisition Japanese Sign Language and Japanese Literacy.

聋校教师对聋儿双语教育的重视程度越来越高。随着手语越来越多地融入到教学过程中，人们对手语方法在聋儿日语识字习得中的适宜性提出了质疑，尤其是在早期阶段。本研究探讨了聋儿手语技能是否与日语识字能力的习得有关，特别是手语接触后聋童如何发展日语分词知识。本研究以6名聋儿手语儿童为研究对象，考察了他们理解和表达日语助词的能力水平与交际模式类别的关系。教室老师使用的是手工编码的日语。课堂活动每学期录制一次，从幼儿园四年级到聋人小学二年级，由两名聋人大学生和熟练掌握日语手语的大学生协助转录成日语。6名儿童根据参与活动分为两组，与其他班级成员进行交流。3名积极、善于交际的儿童在操纵日语助词方面表现出较好的能力，他们的能力水平与同年龄段的听力儿童水平相一致。这些结果暗示了这样一种可能性，即儿童通过童年接受的丰富的语言输入与他随后的识字能力有关。

The idea of bilingual education for the deaf children is receiving increased attention among teachers in the school for the deaf. As Sign Language is incorporated more and more into the instructional process, questions are raised regarding the appropriateness of sign language approaches for acquisition of Japanese literacy in deaf children especially in the early stage.The problems addressed in this research are whether sign language skills are related to acquisition of Japanese literacy in deaf children and especially how deaf children with exposure to sign language develop knowledge of Japanese particles.In this study we evaluated the relation between the competence level to comprehend and express Japanese particles and the categories of communication patterns in a class consist of 6 deaf signing children. The class room teacher uses manually coded Japanese. Class room activities are recorded on video tape once in each school term, from 4 years class of kindergarten through 2nd grade of elementary school for the deaf, and transcribed in Japanese by assistance of two university students who are deaf and proficient Japanese signer.6 children were divided into two groups according to their participating activity to communication with other class members. The 3 positive and communicative children showed fine competence in manipulating Japanese particles and their competence level are correspond to the level of hearing children in their age bracket. These results hint at the possibility that the richness of linguistic input the child receives through his childhood are related to his subsequent literacy.