Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare deaf and hard-of-hearing students’ use of analytic, figurative, and temporal language in descriptions of music. Specifically, this study examined whether students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and students with typical hearing: 1) describe music using similar types of language (analytic, figurative, and temporal language), 2) describe music similarly with regard to clarity and detail, and 3) exhibit similar patterns of language development in their musical descriptions. Students with mild to severe hearing loss at a state school for the deaf (n = 24) and students with typical hearing at neighboring schools (n = 23) in grades 1 through 12 served as participants. All participants listened to excerpts of classical music with contrasting modes, tempi, and instrumentation. Excerpts were selected on the basis of research regarding the hearing characteristics and musical preferences of individuals with hearing loss. After listening to each excerpt, participants were asked to describe the music so that someone who had never heard the music would know what it sounded like. Results indicated that participants with typical hearing used significantly more figurative language in their musical descriptions than participants who were deaf or hard-of-hearing, while participants with hearing loss used significantly more analytic language in their descriptions than participants with typical hearing. There was no significant difference in participants’ use of temporal language based on hearing status. Results also revealed that hearing participants’ descriptions showed significantly greater clarity and detail than those of deaf/hard-of-hearing participants. Both typical and atypical patterns of language development were found for the two groups of participants. Findings may be based on participants’ hearing status, but may also be due to their respective musical and language experiences.
|
