Indexical deprivation: The dominant link between cochlear implants and global English among Taiwanese deaf individuals

Abstract

This paper develops the concept of “indexical deprivation” from the experiences of English learning in relation to cochlear implant use among Taiwanese deaf adults. Based on the framework of language ideological assemblage, this paper traces how institutional discourses and practices at different levels contribute to the indexicalization between cochlear implants and elevated proficiency in English as a global language. By examining the top-down discourses and bottom-up narratives of two Taiwanese deaf women, the study demonstrates how enhanced English proficiency has been linked to cochlear implants and how individuals are deprived of the capacity to recognize alternative links. This paper highlights how global English has promoted the status of cochlear implants in a sociolinguistic context where English is spoken as a foreign language and increasingly gains prominence at multiple societal levels.