Purpose<BR>The study is taken to examine the comparative ability of the deaf to grasp sentences, through speech reading as opposed to sign reading.<BR>Procedures<BR>Tests are divided in three fields regarding to the type for answers required.<BR>A: Reproduction in Writing (to reproduce the sentencnce in writing, as the subjects think to be told).<BR>B: Choice Card (to point out the best picture card that represents the delivered sentence).<BR>C: Work Practice (to practice the work ordered).(On this paper, Work Practice series are omitted.)<BR>In each field, A and B, there are two series;<BR>A-1...Reproduction in Writing with pictures' cues.<BR>A-2...Reproduction in Writing with no picture' cues.<BR>B-1...Choice Card through unrelated sentence.<BR>B-2...Choice Card through related sntence.<BR>Sentences (materials) are conveyed through 8 m/m black-and-white films.<BR>Materials<BR>Materials used in these test series are popular short sentences, and each test series has different<BR>sentences, but in A-1, series and A-2, similar sentences (as to types, words and expressions) are used. In one series (e. g. in A-1), the same sentences are conveyed in both Speech Reading and Sign Reading.<BR>Scoring<BR>As the main aim is comparing the two different language systems (i. e. Speech Reading and Sign Reading), so in A-1 and A-2, the scoring is to examine at the level of sentence elements, but also to examine at level of contents as a whole....i. e., how closely does the answer follow the original delivered sentence on the whole? (with respect to contents, nuances of the expression).<BR>Subjects<BR>Trainees 68 (m. 32 f 36)...The National Rehabilitation Center for the Deaf.<BR>Pupils 140 (m. 72 f. 68)...The Public Schools for the Deaf.(5th to 10th grade)(But the pupils are undergone only Speech Reading series, and Sign Reading test series are omitted.)<BR>Results<BR>1) Comparing the test series, both Speech Reading scores and Sign Reading's are as follows;<BR>A-1...nearly 30%.<BR>A-2...a little under 20%.<BR>B-1 and B-2...60 to a little under 80%. So Choice Card series are far better than the Reproduction in writing series, and especially A-2 is the poorest. But these results are obtained on the bases of the conditions above mentioned, so the deviation of mean scores found among the sentences or among the series, make direct comparisons among the series difficult.<BR>2) In comparison with Speech Reading Sign Reading, Speech Reading is more variable individually, and in Sign Reading, Sex difference is larger (female is superior), and scores of each sentence delivered deviate greatly. As for Sign Reading, these inclinations do not appear so clearly that everyone can comprehend the sentences similarly to some degree.<BR>3) Correlations among these 8 tests' scores, and mental and physical conditions of superior or inferior subjects, show that Speech Reading tests of 4 series and Sign Reading of A-1 and A-2 are highly correlated each other to some degree, and these 6 series are largely effected by subjects' language ability, to be seen.<BR>4) In Reproduction in Writing series, existence of cue makes a significant difference on its scores. And the concrete, monovocal cue produces better results than the abstract, multivocal cue does. The shorter and the simpler the sentence the easier and the more correctly it is comprehended by subjects.