14.2 Evolution And Physiology Of Language Flashcards
Human language stands out from other forms of communication because of its ____ – its ability to improvise new combinations of signals to represent new ideas.
productivity
Nearly all animals ____ through visual, auditory, tactile, or chemical (pheromonal) displays.
communicate
If language is a product of ____ ____ ____, then anyone with a full-size brain and normal overall intelligence should have normal language. However, not all do.
overall brain size
Sixteen members of one family show ____ ____ ____. Despite the language difficulties, these people behave normally and intelligently in most regards, evidently, language requires more than just large brain and overall intelligence.
severe language deficits
Could someone with mental retardation have good language? Psychologists would have answered “no”, until they discovered ____ ____, affecting about 1 person in 20,000.
Williams syndrome
Despite mental retardation in most regards, many people with Williams syndrome speak ____ and ____.
grammatically and fluently
The cause of William syndrome is a deletion of several gene from ____ leading to decreased grey matter, especially in visual processing areas.
chromosome 7
People affected with William syndrome are poor at tasks related to numbers, the visuospatial skills (e.g., copying a drawing), and ____ ____ (e.g., finding the way home).
spatial perception
In spite of overall ____ ____, with a mean IQ score of around 50 to 60, many people with Williams syndrome perform well in certain regards.
mental retardation
One is ____, such as the ability to clapper complex with them and memorise songs.
music
Another is ____ and the ability to interpret facial expressions, such as relaxed or worried, serious or playful, flirtatious or uninterested.
friendliness
Their fascination with faces probably relates to the fact that the ____ ____ – an area sensitive to faces – is about twice as large as normal.
fusiform cortex
Their most surprising skill is ____. Although their language abilities development more slowly than average, some individuals have remarkably good language, considering their implements in another regards.
language
Let’s not overstate the case. People with Williams syndrome do not handle language perfectly. Their ____ is awkward, like that of someone who learned a second language later in life.
grammar
Still, observations of Williams syndrome indicate that language is not simply a byproduct of ____ ____.
overall intelligence
Chomsky (1980) and Pinker (1994) proposed that humans have a ____ ____ ____, a build-in mechanism for acquiring language.
language acquisition device
Most children develop language so quickly and easily that seems they must have been _____ “prepared” for this learning.
biologically
Researchers have begun to explore the genetic basis of this ____ for language.
preparation
Perhaps we are adapted to learn best during a ____ ____ in life.
sensitive period
One way to test this hypothesis is to see whether people learn a second language best if they start young. The consistent result is that adults are better than children at memorising the vocabulary of a second language, but children have a great advantage on learning the ____ and ____.
pronunciation and grammar
However, people who start learning a second language _______ or so almost never reach the level of a true native speaker.
beyond age 12
People who grow up in a ____ ____, speaking two languages from the start show substantial bilateral activities during speech, for both languages. Also, the language areas of the temple and frontal cortex grow thicker than average.
bilingual home