Language Use of Students with Cognitive Disabilities

(Boenisch, 2014)

The aim of this study was to identify the most frequently words used by German students (grade 2-10) with the diagnosis ‘cognitive disabilitiy'.

Methods: Speech samples were collected from 44 students during different activities at school (i.e. during lessons, meal breaks, leisure time, on field trips). The samples were transcribed verbatim and analyzed with Lingofox© to determine the frequency of the words (basic forms) in the sample. The words were also classified according to the word classes.

Findings: Analyses of the 125.454 words reveal that

(1) the most frequently used words are mostly grammatical words like I, forms of the verb be, the, you, not, a, and, what.

(2) the top 100 words (listed below) account for more than 70% of the total words communicated.

The results provide a helpful resource for selecting, prioritizing and organizing vocabulary on AAC systems but also for language learning. This data and these insights were the start of a wide range of application projects on the topic of core vocabulary and AAC. Click here for more information.

 

For more information see:
Boenisch, J. (2014): Kernvokabular im Kindes- und Jugendalter: Vergleichsstudie zum Sprachgebrauch von Schülern/-innen mit und ohne geistige Behinderung und Konsequenzen für die UK-Förderung. In: uk & forschung_3, Beilage von Unterstützte Kommunikation, p. 4-23. 

 

Top 100 from the language use project with children with cognitive disabilities
(N=44, total words=125.454; see Boenisch 2014)

 

Rank

Word

Translation

1

ich

I

2

sein

be

3

das

the

4

ja

yes

5

haben

have

6

die

the

7

du

you

8

mal

just

9

nicht

not

10

was

what

11

der

the

12

ein

a

12

nein

no

14

wir

we

15

da

there

16

und

and

17

so

so

18

hier

here

19

auch

also, too

20

können

can

21

machen

make

22

jetzt

now

23

gucken

watch

23

kommen

come

25

dann

then

26

müssen

have to

27

sagen

say

28

noch

yet

29

aber

but

30

gehen

go

31

doch

but

32

es

it

33

mein

my

34

hallo

hello

35

oh

oh

36

wollen

want

37

den

the

38

in

in

39

mit

with

40

mir

me

41

dürfen

may

42

wie

as, how

43

okay

okay

44

kein

no, none

45

ey

ey

46

zu

to, closed

47

gut

good

48

Frau

woman, Ms.

49

denn

because

50

auf

on, open

51

ne

right?, shortform of 'one'

51

schon

already

53

bitte

please, you're welcome

54

wo

where

55

mich

me, myself

56

alle

all

57

oder

or

58

man

one

59

wieder

back, again

60

wissen

know

61

dein

your

62

zwei

two

63

wenn

when

64

hören

hear

65

dich

you, yorself

66

ach

oh

67

warten

wait

68

geben

give

69

ihr

her, their

70

dir

you

71

gleich

equal, right now

72

lassen

let

73

mögen

like

74

boah

boah

74

nur

only

76

von

of, from

77

ganz

really

78

eins

one

79

immer

always

80

heute

today

80

sollen

must

82

mehr

more

83

bei

at

83

Mikrofon*

microphone*

85

sie

she, they

86

dass

that

87

für

for

88

ah

ah

89

wer

who

90

drei

three

91

dem

the

92

essen

eat

93

aufhören

stop

94

warum

why

95

genau

exactly

96

uns

us

97

nichts

nothing

97

sehen

see

97

viel

much

100

dies

this

 

*This word ranks unusually high here because the children talked about their microphones.