Certainly, there is not language deficits or proficiencies peculiar to blind people. In contrast to what happens
to a deaf
people, a blind
person acquires the language in a normal way (via oral learning) and uses the language in entirely normal way (using hearing and speech). However, the majority of the studies shows that blind people have speech disorders more frequently than the people of normal vision do. ( SAWREY & TELFORD, 1972 p.376). Quoted by SAWREY & TELFORD (1972, p.376), ROWE (1958) informs that no blind child in his study on disorders of speech was considered stammerer. This author still indicates that children congenitally blind are a little bit slower in the learning of speech and in the development of the language and register a certain delay in relation to the children who see. This would be due to, at least in part, the absence of the visual component of the imitative process, which plays an important role in the speech skill. Those kids cannot see the mouth and lips movements, nor the body movements and gestures that are also part of the speech process. They depend exclusively on auditive stimulations and imitations. SAWREY & TELFORD (P.376, 1972) mention also in their book LOWENFELD (1963) who identified some characteristics correctly enumerated of the blind people talk, which are the following: the blind person speaks in a slower cadence than the ones who can see; the blind person speaks louder, modulates less his voice and projects it with less adequacy (radio speaker vocal); the blind person has less vocal variety; the blind person has less body movements, face expressions and gestures while he speaks; The blind person uses the lips less in the articulation. It is important to mention that nor all the studies show these differences between a blind person and the one who can see. Due to their exclusive dependence of the auditive tracks in the perception of the verbal speech, the blind person becomes extremely depencent of the intensity, volume and cadence of the others speech. These auditive tracks added to the physical contact as a slap on the back or a touch on the hands have great meaning to the blind people.
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