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The right of the deaf child to grow up bilingual * [聽障小孩的權利--在雙語環境下成長]
Francois Grosjean
University of Neuchatel, Switzerland [瑞士Neuchatel大學，Francois Grosjean]
譯者：中正大學語言所，李信賢
Every deaf child, whatever the level of his/her hearing loss, should have the right to grow up bilingual. By knowing and using both a sign language and an oral language (in its written and, when possible, in its spoken modality), the child will attain his/her full cognitive, linguistic and social capabilities.
[每個聽障小孩不論他/她聽力損失的程度如何，都應擁有在雙語環境下長大的權利。經由瞭解及使用手語和口語(書寫形式，可能的話，甚至利用口說的形式)，小孩子將可以達到他/她在認知、語言及社會能力的完全發展。]
What a child needs to be able to do with language [一個小孩需要什麼，才能處理語言呢？]
The deaf child has to accomplish a number of things with language: [聽障小孩必須要利用語言完成一些事情]
1. Communicate with parents and family members as soon as possible. A hearing child normally acquires language in the very first years of life on the condition that he/she is exposed to a language and can perceive it. Language in turn is an important means of establishing and solidifying social and personal ties between the child and his/her parents. What is true of the hearing child must also become true of the deaf child. He/she must be able to communicate with his/her parents by means of a natural language as soon, and as fully, as possible. It is with language that much of the parent-child affective bonding takes place.
[第一、能在最短的時間內，跟父母及其他家庭成員溝通。一個聽力正常的小孩，當他/她處在一個語言環境下，且可以接收到這個語言時，通常在他出生後的幾年間就可以正常地習得語言。語言接著便成為一個建構及固定小孩和他/她父母間的社會及個人聯繫的重要工具。對於一般小孩是如此，對於聾人小孩也一定不例外。他/她必須要能透過自然的語言和他/她的父母溝通，這樣的溝通要盡可能的越快越完整越好。大部分父母跟孩子間的情感聯繫就是經由語言而開始的。]
2. Develop cognitive abilities in infancy. Through language, the child develops cognitive abilities that are critical to his/her personal development. Among these we find various types of reasoning, abstracting, memorizing, etc. The total absence of language, the adoption of a non-natural language or the use of a language that is poorly perceived or known, can have major negative consequences on the child's cognitive development.
[第二、在嬰兒時期發展認知能力。經由語言，小孩子能發展出對於他/她個人發展很重要的認知能力，這包含了推理、抽象思考、及記憶能力等等。完全缺乏語言、採用非自然語言或是使用一個不易被接收及瞭解的語言，都會使小孩子認知能力的發展有負面影響。]
3. Acquire world knowledge. The child will acquire knowledge about the world mainly through language. As he/she communicates with parents, other family members, children and adults, information about the world will be processed and exchanged. It is this knowledge, in turn, which serves as a basis for the activities that will take place in school. It is also world knowledge which facilitates language comprehension; there is no real language understanding without the support of this knowledge.
[第三、獲得關於這個世界的知識。小孩子主要是經由語言來獲得有關於這個世界的知識。當他/她跟父母或其他家庭成員溝通時，對於這個世界的知識會在彼此之間被處理及交換。這些知識，接著會成為發生在學校裡的各種行為的基礎。對於世界的瞭解也有助於語言的理解，沒有了這些知識，就不可能有真正的語言瞭解。]
4. Communicate fully with the surrounding world. The deaf child, like the hearing child, must be able to communicate fully with those who are part of his/her life (parents, brothers and sisters, peers, teachers, various adults, etc.). Communication must take place at an optimal rate of information in a language that is appropriate to the interlocutor and the situation. In some cases it will be sign language, in other cases it will be the oral language (in one of its modalities), and sometimes it will be the two languages in alternation.
[第四、跟周遭的人完全的溝通。聽障小孩跟一般小孩一樣，都必須要能跟他/她生活中的每一份子完全地溝通(包含父母、兄弟、姊妹、同儕、老師、以及其他大人等等)。溝通必須達到最好的效率，並經由一種適合對話者及當時情境的語言，來傳達適當的訊息。有時是經由手語，有時是經由口語(書寫或口說其中一種形式)，有時則是要兩者交互使用。]
5. Acculturate into two worlds. Through language, the deaf child must progressively become a member of both the hearing and of the Deaf world. He/she must identify, at least in part, with the hearing world which is almost always the world of his/her parents and family members (90% of deaf children have hearing parents). But the child must also come into contact as early as possible with the world of the Deaf, his/her other world. The child must feel comfortable in these two worlds and must be able to identify with each as much as possible.
[第五、融入兩個不同世界的文化。經由語言，聽障小孩必定能漸漸成為聽人及聾人世界中的一員。他/她至少要對於他/她父母及家庭成員所屬的世界有部分的認同(有百分之九十的聽障小孩的父母都是聽人)，但是聾小孩也必須盡早接觸聾人的世界，這是屬於他/她的另一個世界。聾小孩必須要能自在地處在這兩個世界，也要能盡可能地認同這兩個世界。]
Bilingualism is the only way of meeting these needs [使用雙語是唯一能達到這些需求的方法]
Bilingualism is the knowledge and regular use of two or more languages. A sign language-oral language bilingualism is the only way that the deaf child will meet his/her needs, that is, communicate early with his/her parents, develop his/her cognitive abilities, acquire knowledge of the world, communicate fully with the surrounding world, and acculturate into the world of the hearing and of the Deaf.
[雙語是對於兩種或更多語言的瞭解及經常使用的能力。手語-口語雙語並行是唯一符合聽障小孩需求的方法，也就是能很早開始跟父母溝通、發展他/她的認知能力、獲得有關這個世界的知識、跟周遭的人完全溝通以及融入聽人與聾人的世界。]
What kind of bilingualism? [哪一種雙語？]
The bilingualism of the deaf child will involve the sign language used by the Deaf community and the oral language used by the hearing majority. The latter language will be acquired in its written, and if possible, in its spoken modality. Depending on the child, the two languages will play different roles: some children will be dominant in sign language, others will be dominant in the oral language, and some will be balanced in their two languages. In addition, various types of bilingualism are possible since there are several levels of deafness and the language contact situation is itself complex (four language modalities, two production and two perception systems, etc.). This said, most deaf children will become bilingual and bicultural to varying degrees. In this sense, they will be no different than about half the world's population that lives with two or more languages. (it has been estimated that there are as many, if not more, bilinguals in the world today as monolinguals). Just like other bilingual children, they will use their languages in their everyday lives and they will belong, to varying degrees, to their two worlds - in this case, the hearing world and the Deaf world.
[聽障小孩的雙語包含了聾人社會所使用的手語及多數聽人社會所用的口語。包含口語的書寫形式，可能的話，也包含口說形式。隨著小孩而異，這兩種語言將會扮演不同的角色：有些小孩主要使用手語、有的主要使用口語，有些小孩則是兩者並用。此外，也可能有不同程度的雙語，因為有不同程度的聽力喪失，且語言接觸本身就是一個複雜的狀態(四種不同型態：手或口兩種說話系統、眼睛或耳朵兩種接收系統)。也就是說，大部分的聾小孩將會在雙語及雙文化的程度上有很大的不同。就這方面而言，他們跟世界上大約半數也是使用兩種以上語言的人並沒有不同(據估計，現在世界上使用雙語的人跟使用單一語言的人差不多)，正如其他使用雙語的小孩一樣，聾小孩在他們日常生活中使用他們的語言，且他們也將會有不同程度地歸屬於他們的兩個世界，也就是說，聽人世界與聾人世界。]
What role for sign language? [手語所扮演的角色？]
Sign language must be the first language (or one of the first two languages) acquired by children who have a severe hearing loss. It is a natural, full-fledged language that ensures full and complete communication. Unlike an oral language, it allows the young deaf child and his/her parents to communicate early, and fully, on the condition that they acquire it quickly. Sign language will play an important role in the deaf child's cognitive and social development and it will help him/her acquire knowledge about the world. It will also allow the child to acculturate into the Deaf world (one of the two worlds he/she belongs to) as soon as contact is made with that world. In addition, sign language will facilitate the acquisition of the oral language, be it in its spoken or written modality. It is well known that a first language that has been acquired normally, be it an oral or a sign language, will greatly enhance the acquisition of a second language. Finally, being able to use sign language is a guarantee that the child will have mastered at least one language. Despite considerable effort on the part of deaf children and of the professionals that surround them, and despite the use of various technological aids, it is a fact that many deaf children have great difficulties producing and perceiving an oral language in its spoken modality. Having to wait several years to reach a satisfactory level that might never be attained, and in the meantime denying the deaf child access to a language that meets his/her immediate needs (sign language), is basically taking the risk that the child will fall behind in his/her development, be it linguistic, cognitive, social or personal.
[手語必須是有嚴重聽力損失的小孩所習得的第一種語言(或是最早的兩種語言之一)，手語是自然、完全成熟的語言，可以達到完全且完整的溝通。跟口語不同的是，聽障小孩可以很快學會手語，因此可以讓聽障小孩很早就能完全地跟父母溝通。手語在聽障小孩的認知及社會發展扮演很重要的角色，它也可以幫助他們習得有關這個世界的知識。手語也可以讓小孩一接觸聾人世界就能融入聾人的文化世界(他所歸屬的兩個世界之一)，此外，手語可以促進口語的學習，不管是口說或是書寫形式。大家都知道，當第一語言(不管是手語或口語)正常的習得之後，對於第二語言的學習將有很大的幫助。最後，會使用手語，至少保證小孩能掌握一種語言。不管聽障小孩付出多少努力或有多少專家幫助，也不管各種科技輔具的幫助，都得面對個事實，很多聽障小孩在口語的發聲及聽力方面有很大的困難。口語的訓練要花費很多年才能達到一個讓人滿意的程度(也可能永遠達不到)，在這時候又不讓聾小孩接觸最符合他/她需求的語言(手語)，基本上就是一種冒險，使聾小孩的發展落後一般小孩，不管在認知、語言、社會或個人發展方面。]
What role for the oral language? [口語所扮演的角色？]
Being bilingual means knowing and using two or more languages. The deaf child's other language will be the oral language used by the hearing world to which he/she also belongs. This language, in its spoken and/or written modality, is the language of the child's parents, brothers and sisters, extended family, future friends and employers, etc. When those who interact with the child in everyday life do not know sign language, it is important that communication takes place nevertheless and this can only happen in the oral language. It is also this language, in its written modality mainly, that will be an important medium for the acquisition of knowledge. Much of what we learn is transmitted via writing be it at home or more generally at school. In addition, the deaf child's academic success and his/her future professional achievements will depend in large part on a good mastery of the oral language, in its written and if possible spoken modality.
[雙語的意思就是能瞭解並使用兩種以上的語言。聽障小孩的另一個語言也就是他們所歸屬的聽人世界所用的口語。這種語言(口說或書寫形式)，是小孩的雙親、兄弟姊妹、其他親戚、以後的朋友及雇主等所使用的語言，當這些在日常生活中跟聽障小孩有來往的人不懂手語時，很重要的一點是，溝通這時就只能以口語方式進行。口語的書寫形式也是獲得其他知識的主要媒介；不管是在家，或是更普遍地在學校，我們所學的很多是經由書寫形式習得，此外，聽障小孩要繼續他/她的學業或是要達到專業的成就，都將跟精熟口語的書寫形式(可能的話，口說形式)有很大的關係。]
Conclusion [結論]
It is our duty to allow the deaf child to acquire two languages, the sign language of the Deaf community (as a first language when the hearing loss is severe) and the oral language of the hearing majority. To achieve this, the child must be in contact with the two language communities and must feel the need to learn and use both languages. Counting solely on one language, the oral language, because of recent technological advances is betting on the deaf child's future. It is putting at risk the child's cognitive and personal development and it is negating the child's need to acculturate into the two world's that he/she belongs to. Early contact with the two languages will give the child more guarantees than contact with just one language, whatever his/her future will be, and whichever world he/she chooses to live in (in case it is only one of them). One never regrets knowing several languages but one can certainly regret not knowing enough, especially if one's own development is at stake. The deaf child should have the right to grow up bilingual and it is our responsibility to help him/her do so.
[我們有責任讓聽障小孩能夠習得兩種語言，這包括聾人社會的手語(聽力損失嚴重時做為第一語言)及聽人社會的口語。要達到這個目標，必須讓小孩接觸這兩個不同語言團體，且感覺到有需要去學習並使用這兩種語言。我們不能只依賴口語，因為最近科技的進展是拿聽障小孩的未來當賭注。這不但是拿小孩的認知及個人發展來冒險，而且也忽略了聽障小孩應該融入這兩個世界的需求。不管他/她的未來會是怎樣，也不管他/她選擇處在哪一個世界(假如只選一個的話)，早期接觸這兩種語言比只接觸一種語言能提供更多的保障。沒有人會因為知道很多語言而感到遺憾，但是一定會因為知道的不夠而遺憾，尤其是當自己的發展已經瀕臨危險。聽障小孩應該有權利在雙語環境下成長，幫助他們做到在雙語環境下成長則是我們的責任。]
* This short text is the result of much reflection over the years on bilingualism and deafness. Those who surround young deaf children (parents, doctors, language pathologists, educators, etc.) often do not perceive them as future bilingual and bicultural individuals. It is with these people in mind that 1 have written this paper. 1 would like to thank the following colleagues and friends for their helpful comments and suggestions: Robbin Battison, Penny Boyes-Braem, Eve Clark, Lysiane Grosjean, Judith Johnston, Harlan Lane, Rachel Mayberry, Lesley Milroy, lla Parasnis and Trude Schermer.
[這篇短文反映出多年來跟雙語主義及聽障相關研究的成果。在年輕聽障小孩周遭的人(父母、醫生、語言病理學家、教育者等)常常忽略小孩將來可以成為雙語且雙文化的個體。針對這些人，我寫了這篇文章。我要感謝下列這些同伴及朋友們所提供寶貴的評論及建議：Robbin Battison, Penny Boyes-Braem, Eve Clark, Lysiane Grosjean, Judith Johnston, Harlan Lane, Rachel Mayberry, Lesley Milroy, lla Parasnis and Trude Schermer]
註：非常感謝中正大學語言所，李信賢 將這篇文章翻譯成中文。
Francois Grosjean
University of Neuchatel, Switzerland [瑞士Neuchatel大學，Francois Grosjean]
譯者：中正大學語言所，李信賢
Every deaf child, whatever the level of his/her hearing loss, should have the right to grow up bilingual. By knowing and using both a sign language and an oral language (in its written and, when possible, in its spoken modality), the child will attain his/her full cognitive, linguistic and social capabilities.
[每個聽障小孩不論他/她聽力損失的程度如何，都應擁有在雙語環境下長大的權利。經由瞭解及使用手語和口語(書寫形式，可能的話，甚至利用口說的形式)，小孩子將可以達到他/她在認知、語言及社會能力的完全發展。]
What a child needs to be able to do with language [一個小孩需要什麼，才能處理語言呢？]
The deaf child has to accomplish a number of things with language: [聽障小孩必須要利用語言完成一些事情]
1. Communicate with parents and family members as soon as possible. A hearing child normally acquires language in the very first years of life on the condition that he/she is exposed to a language and can perceive it. Language in turn is an important means of establishing and solidifying social and personal ties between the child and his/her parents. What is true of the hearing child must also become true of the deaf child. He/she must be able to communicate with his/her parents by means of a natural language as soon, and as fully, as possible. It is with language that much of the parent-child affective bonding takes place.
[第一、能在最短的時間內，跟父母及其他家庭成員溝通。一個聽力正常的小孩，當他/她處在一個語言環境下，且可以接收到這個語言時，通常在他出生後的幾年間就可以正常地習得語言。語言接著便成為一個建構及固定小孩和他/她父母間的社會及個人聯繫的重要工具。對於一般小孩是如此，對於聾人小孩也一定不例外。他/她必須要能透過自然的語言和他/她的父母溝通，這樣的溝通要盡可能的越快越完整越好。大部分父母跟孩子間的情感聯繫就是經由語言而開始的。]
2. Develop cognitive abilities in infancy. Through language, the child develops cognitive abilities that are critical to his/her personal development. Among these we find various types of reasoning, abstracting, memorizing, etc. The total absence of language, the adoption of a non-natural language or the use of a language that is poorly perceived or known, can have major negative consequences on the child's cognitive development.
[第二、在嬰兒時期發展認知能力。經由語言，小孩子能發展出對於他/她個人發展很重要的認知能力，這包含了推理、抽象思考、及記憶能力等等。完全缺乏語言、採用非自然語言或是使用一個不易被接收及瞭解的語言，都會使小孩子認知能力的發展有負面影響。]
3. Acquire world knowledge. The child will acquire knowledge about the world mainly through language. As he/she communicates with parents, other family members, children and adults, information about the world will be processed and exchanged. It is this knowledge, in turn, which serves as a basis for the activities that will take place in school. It is also world knowledge which facilitates language comprehension; there is no real language understanding without the support of this knowledge.
[第三、獲得關於這個世界的知識。小孩子主要是經由語言來獲得有關於這個世界的知識。當他/她跟父母或其他家庭成員溝通時，對於這個世界的知識會在彼此之間被處理及交換。這些知識，接著會成為發生在學校裡的各種行為的基礎。對於世界的瞭解也有助於語言的理解，沒有了這些知識，就不可能有真正的語言瞭解。]
4. Communicate fully with the surrounding world. The deaf child, like the hearing child, must be able to communicate fully with those who are part of his/her life (parents, brothers and sisters, peers, teachers, various adults, etc.). Communication must take place at an optimal rate of information in a language that is appropriate to the interlocutor and the situation. In some cases it will be sign language, in other cases it will be the oral language (in one of its modalities), and sometimes it will be the two languages in alternation.
[第四、跟周遭的人完全的溝通。聽障小孩跟一般小孩一樣，都必須要能跟他/她生活中的每一份子完全地溝通(包含父母、兄弟、姊妹、同儕、老師、以及其他大人等等)。溝通必須達到最好的效率，並經由一種適合對話者及當時情境的語言，來傳達適當的訊息。有時是經由手語，有時是經由口語(書寫或口說其中一種形式)，有時則是要兩者交互使用。]
5. Acculturate into two worlds. Through language, the deaf child must progressively become a member of both the hearing and of the Deaf world. He/she must identify, at least in part, with the hearing world which is almost always the world of his/her parents and family members (90% of deaf children have hearing parents). But the child must also come into contact as early as possible with the world of the Deaf, his/her other world. The child must feel comfortable in these two worlds and must be able to identify with each as much as possible.
[第五、融入兩個不同世界的文化。經由語言，聽障小孩必定能漸漸成為聽人及聾人世界中的一員。他/她至少要對於他/她父母及家庭成員所屬的世界有部分的認同(有百分之九十的聽障小孩的父母都是聽人)，但是聾小孩也必須盡早接觸聾人的世界，這是屬於他/她的另一個世界。聾小孩必須要能自在地處在這兩個世界，也要能盡可能地認同這兩個世界。]
Bilingualism is the only way of meeting these needs [使用雙語是唯一能達到這些需求的方法]
Bilingualism is the knowledge and regular use of two or more languages. A sign language-oral language bilingualism is the only way that the deaf child will meet his/her needs, that is, communicate early with his/her parents, develop his/her cognitive abilities, acquire knowledge of the world, communicate fully with the surrounding world, and acculturate into the world of the hearing and of the Deaf.
[雙語是對於兩種或更多語言的瞭解及經常使用的能力。手語-口語雙語並行是唯一符合聽障小孩需求的方法，也就是能很早開始跟父母溝通、發展他/她的認知能力、獲得有關這個世界的知識、跟周遭的人完全溝通以及融入聽人與聾人的世界。]
What kind of bilingualism? [哪一種雙語？]
The bilingualism of the deaf child will involve the sign language used by the Deaf community and the oral language used by the hearing majority. The latter language will be acquired in its written, and if possible, in its spoken modality. Depending on the child, the two languages will play different roles: some children will be dominant in sign language, others will be dominant in the oral language, and some will be balanced in their two languages. In addition, various types of bilingualism are possible since there are several levels of deafness and the language contact situation is itself complex (four language modalities, two production and two perception systems, etc.). This said, most deaf children will become bilingual and bicultural to varying degrees. In this sense, they will be no different than about half the world's population that lives with two or more languages. (it has been estimated that there are as many, if not more, bilinguals in the world today as monolinguals). Just like other bilingual children, they will use their languages in their everyday lives and they will belong, to varying degrees, to their two worlds - in this case, the hearing world and the Deaf world.
[聽障小孩的雙語包含了聾人社會所使用的手語及多數聽人社會所用的口語。包含口語的書寫形式，可能的話，也包含口說形式。隨著小孩而異，這兩種語言將會扮演不同的角色：有些小孩主要使用手語、有的主要使用口語，有些小孩則是兩者並用。此外，也可能有不同程度的雙語，因為有不同程度的聽力喪失，且語言接觸本身就是一個複雜的狀態(四種不同型態：手或口兩種說話系統、眼睛或耳朵兩種接收系統)。也就是說，大部分的聾小孩將會在雙語及雙文化的程度上有很大的不同。就這方面而言，他們跟世界上大約半數也是使用兩種以上語言的人並沒有不同(據估計，現在世界上使用雙語的人跟使用單一語言的人差不多)，正如其他使用雙語的小孩一樣，聾小孩在他們日常生活中使用他們的語言，且他們也將會有不同程度地歸屬於他們的兩個世界，也就是說，聽人世界與聾人世界。]
What role for sign language? [手語所扮演的角色？]
Sign language must be the first language (or one of the first two languages) acquired by children who have a severe hearing loss. It is a natural, full-fledged language that ensures full and complete communication. Unlike an oral language, it allows the young deaf child and his/her parents to communicate early, and fully, on the condition that they acquire it quickly. Sign language will play an important role in the deaf child's cognitive and social development and it will help him/her acquire knowledge about the world. It will also allow the child to acculturate into the Deaf world (one of the two worlds he/she belongs to) as soon as contact is made with that world. In addition, sign language will facilitate the acquisition of the oral language, be it in its spoken or written modality. It is well known that a first language that has been acquired normally, be it an oral or a sign language, will greatly enhance the acquisition of a second language. Finally, being able to use sign language is a guarantee that the child will have mastered at least one language. Despite considerable effort on the part of deaf children and of the professionals that surround them, and despite the use of various technological aids, it is a fact that many deaf children have great difficulties producing and perceiving an oral language in its spoken modality. Having to wait several years to reach a satisfactory level that might never be attained, and in the meantime denying the deaf child access to a language that meets his/her immediate needs (sign language), is basically taking the risk that the child will fall behind in his/her development, be it linguistic, cognitive, social or personal.
[手語必須是有嚴重聽力損失的小孩所習得的第一種語言(或是最早的兩種語言之一)，手語是自然、完全成熟的語言，可以達到完全且完整的溝通。跟口語不同的是，聽障小孩可以很快學會手語，因此可以讓聽障小孩很早就能完全地跟父母溝通。手語在聽障小孩的認知及社會發展扮演很重要的角色，它也可以幫助他們習得有關這個世界的知識。手語也可以讓小孩一接觸聾人世界就能融入聾人的文化世界(他所歸屬的兩個世界之一)，此外，手語可以促進口語的學習，不管是口說或是書寫形式。大家都知道，當第一語言(不管是手語或口語)正常的習得之後，對於第二語言的學習將有很大的幫助。最後，會使用手語，至少保證小孩能掌握一種語言。不管聽障小孩付出多少努力或有多少專家幫助，也不管各種科技輔具的幫助，都得面對個事實，很多聽障小孩在口語的發聲及聽力方面有很大的困難。口語的訓練要花費很多年才能達到一個讓人滿意的程度(也可能永遠達不到)，在這時候又不讓聾小孩接觸最符合他/她需求的語言(手語)，基本上就是一種冒險，使聾小孩的發展落後一般小孩，不管在認知、語言、社會或個人發展方面。]
What role for the oral language? [口語所扮演的角色？]
Being bilingual means knowing and using two or more languages. The deaf child's other language will be the oral language used by the hearing world to which he/she also belongs. This language, in its spoken and/or written modality, is the language of the child's parents, brothers and sisters, extended family, future friends and employers, etc. When those who interact with the child in everyday life do not know sign language, it is important that communication takes place nevertheless and this can only happen in the oral language. It is also this language, in its written modality mainly, that will be an important medium for the acquisition of knowledge. Much of what we learn is transmitted via writing be it at home or more generally at school. In addition, the deaf child's academic success and his/her future professional achievements will depend in large part on a good mastery of the oral language, in its written and if possible spoken modality.
[雙語的意思就是能瞭解並使用兩種以上的語言。聽障小孩的另一個語言也就是他們所歸屬的聽人世界所用的口語。這種語言(口說或書寫形式)，是小孩的雙親、兄弟姊妹、其他親戚、以後的朋友及雇主等所使用的語言，當這些在日常生活中跟聽障小孩有來往的人不懂手語時，很重要的一點是，溝通這時就只能以口語方式進行。口語的書寫形式也是獲得其他知識的主要媒介；不管是在家，或是更普遍地在學校，我們所學的很多是經由書寫形式習得，此外，聽障小孩要繼續他/她的學業或是要達到專業的成就，都將跟精熟口語的書寫形式(可能的話，口說形式)有很大的關係。]
Conclusion [結論]
It is our duty to allow the deaf child to acquire two languages, the sign language of the Deaf community (as a first language when the hearing loss is severe) and the oral language of the hearing majority. To achieve this, the child must be in contact with the two language communities and must feel the need to learn and use both languages. Counting solely on one language, the oral language, because of recent technological advances is betting on the deaf child's future. It is putting at risk the child's cognitive and personal development and it is negating the child's need to acculturate into the two world's that he/she belongs to. Early contact with the two languages will give the child more guarantees than contact with just one language, whatever his/her future will be, and whichever world he/she chooses to live in (in case it is only one of them). One never regrets knowing several languages but one can certainly regret not knowing enough, especially if one's own development is at stake. The deaf child should have the right to grow up bilingual and it is our responsibility to help him/her do so.
[我們有責任讓聽障小孩能夠習得兩種語言，這包括聾人社會的手語(聽力損失嚴重時做為第一語言)及聽人社會的口語。要達到這個目標，必須讓小孩接觸這兩個不同語言團體，且感覺到有需要去學習並使用這兩種語言。我們不能只依賴口語，因為最近科技的進展是拿聽障小孩的未來當賭注。這不但是拿小孩的認知及個人發展來冒險，而且也忽略了聽障小孩應該融入這兩個世界的需求。不管他/她的未來會是怎樣，也不管他/她選擇處在哪一個世界(假如只選一個的話)，早期接觸這兩種語言比只接觸一種語言能提供更多的保障。沒有人會因為知道很多語言而感到遺憾，但是一定會因為知道的不夠而遺憾，尤其是當自己的發展已經瀕臨危險。聽障小孩應該有權利在雙語環境下成長，幫助他們做到在雙語環境下成長則是我們的責任。]
* This short text is the result of much reflection over the years on bilingualism and deafness. Those who surround young deaf children (parents, doctors, language pathologists, educators, etc.) often do not perceive them as future bilingual and bicultural individuals. It is with these people in mind that 1 have written this paper. 1 would like to thank the following colleagues and friends for their helpful comments and suggestions: Robbin Battison, Penny Boyes-Braem, Eve Clark, Lysiane Grosjean, Judith Johnston, Harlan Lane, Rachel Mayberry, Lesley Milroy, lla Parasnis and Trude Schermer.
[這篇短文反映出多年來跟雙語主義及聽障相關研究的成果。在年輕聽障小孩周遭的人(父母、醫生、語言病理學家、教育者等)常常忽略小孩將來可以成為雙語且雙文化的個體。針對這些人，我寫了這篇文章。我要感謝下列這些同伴及朋友們所提供寶貴的評論及建議：Robbin Battison, Penny Boyes-Braem, Eve Clark, Lysiane Grosjean, Judith Johnston, Harlan Lane, Rachel Mayberry, Lesley Milroy, lla Parasnis and Trude Schermer]
註：非常感謝中正大學語言所，李信賢 將這篇文章翻譯成中文。
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