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Widening the Lens on Language Learning: Language Creation in Deaf Children and Adults in Nicaragua

Children around the globe learn language under a wide range of circumstances, and they do it remarkably well. The premise of this special issue is that we can glean insights about language learning from children who learn language under special circumstances that we cannot gain from children learning language under typical circumstances. Indeed, much can be learned about the child's contributions to language learning by varying either the learner or the learning environment [e.g., Gleitman & Newport, 1996]. Because we cannot experimentally vary the circumstances under which children learn language, we need to take advantage of naturally occurring variations – children learning language under special circumstances. 
 
As an example of a naturally occurring variation in the learner, some children have a specific impairment that seems to affect only their ability to learn language. Studying them can provide insight into characteristics of the learner that matter for language learning [Hsu & Bishop, this issue]. As an example of a naturally occurring variation in the learning environment, some children are exposed not to 1 language but to 2. Studying them can provide insight into characteristics of linguistic input that impact language learning [Sebastian-Galles, this issue]. To the extent that a particular variation has an impact on what the child learns, we can conclude that the characteristic either of the learner or of the learning environment plays a role in how children learn language. Conversely, to the extent that a variation leaves language learning unchanged from the typical case, we know that language learning is resilient across that variation [Goldin-Meadow, 2003].