Prepositional Phrases in Deaf and Hearing Students’ Narratives: A Functional Perspective

Abstract

Comprehending the linguistic features of deaf student writers in comparison to those of the hearing group at the further phase helps in providing pedagogical treatment for mitigating the linguistic gap between both.   In line with this idealism, the present study aims to reveal the phenomena of prepositional phrase positions and patterns of deaf and hearing students in representing the circumstances of their real-life narratives. Four stories about being chased by a dog were elicited from each of the groups. The analysis was carried out by employing the table adapted from the experiential framework of Halliday and Matthiessen (2004). The findings in general reveal the less flexible positions of prepositional phrases and the less complex prepositional phrase patterns of the deaf group. Though the results of this study might not be absolutely conclusive, at least they portray the insight into the certain tendency between both groups of students in representing the circumstances for their meaning making of narratives. At the further phase, the findings of the present study are expected to provide benefits for language teachers and practitioners in the context of special education especially the case of deafness.