Different Behaviors of Wh-words in Chinese Wh-question Acquisition by Deaf Students

Abstract

Chinese acquisition by deaf students is a crucial and tough problem. In this study, we have chosen wh-question as a target structure and examined the behaviors of wh-words in Chinese wh-quesition acquisition by fifty-eight deaf students. The main findings of this study are displayed as follows. The overall performance wh-question acquisition by deaf students is poor. Based on the behaviors of wh-words, it is quite obvious that the acquisition order of the wh-words is as follows:What>>who>where>when>>how. The pedagogical implications for the teachers and learners are to pay attention to their Chinese wh-question teaching and learning.