The use of language by hearing mothers of deaf children.

The use of language by three hearing mothers of young, deaf children was studied. Each maternal utterance was classified as having one of five functions: (1) controlling child's behavior, (2) prodding, (3) eliciting, (4) describing objects and events in the environment, or (5) engaging in incidental conversation. All mothers used most of their language to describe or control behavior. Individual differences among the mothers as well as the implications of the findings are discussed.