Date of Award

1-1-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. John Caputo

Second Advisor

Dr. Carolyn Cunningham

Abstract

"Marriage with a hearing person is frowned upon. Deaf marry Deaf approximately nine times out of ten" (Lane et al, 1996, p. 71). With the assistance of Burgoon's (1988) Expectancy Violations Theory and Philipsen's (1997) Speech Codes Theory, this thesis identifies cultural and language conflicts that may arise in Deaf-hearing marriages and questions the general assumption that 90% of all Deaf-hearing marriages end in divorce. This assumed statistic prompts the research question: What communicative practices do spouses use to contribute to the longevity of Deaf-hearing marriages? Fifty-seven individuals completed an original mixed-method survey identifying how they resolve cultural and language conflict in their marriage. Survey results indicated that Deaf-hearing couples and Deaf-deaf couples experience the same frequency of cultural conflicts within their marriages. This finding is contrary to the popular belief that cultural conflicts cause more stress within a Deaf-hearing marriage. Additional research findings indicated that Deaf-hearing couples reported the ability to recognize cultural and language barriers more often than Deaf-Deaf couples. Findings from the research suggest that the idea that Deaf-hearing marriages are doomed to fail is unfounded. The call is now for researchers to further delve into the study of marriage in the Deaf-world. The review of literature coupled with the research here can fuel further exploration and research into marriage within the Deaf community.

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