7 - Language

Question 1

phonemes

Answer 1

fundamental language sounds which form a word or part of a word

Question 2

morphemes

Answer 2

• smallest meaningful units of words (eg. base)
• formed from a combination of phonemes

Question 3

lexicon

Answer 3

comprises a memory store that contains words & their meanings

Question 4

syntax

Answer 4

words strung together in patterns that conform to the language rules of grammar

Question 5

semantics

Answer 5

the meaning connected to words & sentences

Question 6

prosody

Answer 6

vocal intonation

Question 7

discourse

Answer 7

stringing together sentences to form a meaningful narrative

Question 8

4 Core Skills Underlying Human Language

Answer 8

1. Categorization - assigning tags to information makes it easier to perceive & later retrieve; ventral stream participates in object categorization
2. Category Labeling
3. Sequencing Behavior - r.e. words takes place in dorsal stream & frontal cortex
4. Mimicry - mirror neurons in cortical language regions; fosters language development

Question 9

discontinuity theory

Answer 9

proposes that language evolved rapidly & suddenly, occurring in the last 200,000 years

Question 10

continuity theory

Answer 10

proposes that language evolved gradually because of similarities in genes & behaviors of ancestral hominid species

Question 11

dorsal language pathways

Answer 11

transform sound information into motor representation; categorize sound in terms of frequency of association

Question 12

ventral language pathways

Answer 12

transform sound information into meaning; extract meaning from grammatical organization of words

Question 13

Pros & Cons of TMS

Answer 13

Pros
- non-invasive
- when combined with MRI can allow brain regions to be examined under controlled experimental conditions

Cons
- stimulator produces sound which can cue patient
- can causes muscle contractions, discomfort, pain
- does not easily access deep regions

Question 14

aphasia

Answer 14

language disorder apparent in speech

Question 15

agraphia

Answer 15

language disorder apparent in writing; inability to write

Question 16

alexia

Answer 16

language disorder apparent in reading; inability to read

Question 17

Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 17

inability to comprehend words or arrange sounds into coherent speech (i.e. sensory aphasia); type of fluent aphasia

Question 18

Transcortical aphasia

Answer 18

inability to speak spontaneously, or cannot comprehend words, but can repeat them (i.e. isolation syndrome); type of fluent aphasia

Question 19

Conduction aphasia

Answer 19

inability to repeat words (disconnect between perceptual word image & motor system); type of fluent aphasia

Question 20

anomic aphasia

Answer 20

difficulty naming objects, but comprehension, production & repetition of speech intact; type of fluent aphasia

Question 21

global aphasia

Answer 21

speech is labored & comprehension is poor; type of non-fluent aphasia

Question 22

transcortical motor aphasia

Answer 22

spontaneous speech production is labored, but repetition is good; type of non-fluent aphasia