Brain systems for auditory language Flashcards
What is a morpheme?
the smallest meaningful unit of a word whose combination creates a word (ex. cat vs. cats)
What is a phoneme?
The smallest unit of a sound that can signal meaning (ex. /b/ vs. /p/)
What is syntax?
The rules about the order of words in a language (ex. the cat chased the mouse vs. the mouse was chased by the cat)
What is lexicon?
The understanding that some combinations of letters form words, but other combinations do not form words (ex. cat is a word, but dat is not)
What is semantics?
It is the encyclopedic knowledge of a sentence; the stringing of words together to form a meaningful sentence (ex. the police officer was chased by the criminal vs. the whistle blew the police officer)
What is prosody?
The intonation of words that can modify the interpretation of the word (i.e. adding emotional emphasis)
What is discourse?
Linking of sentences to form a narrative
Why are the distinctions in language so important when we study language?
Because we can map each of the components of language on to specific brain areas
What is phonetics?
How a speech sound is produced in different contexts
ex. pot vs. spot
What does manner refer to?
The configuration and interaction of the articulators
What does voicing refer to?
The vibration of vocal chords relative to when air is released from lungs (voice onset time or VOT)
How many phonemes does english have?
40
Are phonemes and phonetics the same thing?
No
What are the main components that help us produce language? How do they do that?
The larynx, pharynx, epiglottis, tongue, palette, lips, jaw and nasal cavity; the manipulation and control of these produce language
What is the time difference between voiced consonants and unvoiced consonants?
Voiced = 0-25 ms (/ba/)
Unvoiced = 40-80 ms (/pa/)
* voice onset time is longer for unvoiced consonants
What are the four main places of articulation?
Labial articulation, dental articulation, palatal articulation and velar articulation
What is the main component to aid our perception of what sound is actually being produced by someone else?
The VOT (we can tolerate differences up until a point - after it crosses a threshold, we perceive a different sound) - ex. when VOT is <20ms, people hear "di" but when VOT is > 30 ms, people hear "ti"
What do Wernicke’s aphasics have difficulty with in reference to phonemes?
They have difficulty selecting, sequencing and producing the correct phoneme
What do Broca’s aphasics have difficulty with in reference to phonemes?
They make phonetic and phonemic errors (this explains receptive and expressive deficits)
What language component changes how a person with Wernicke’s aphasia perceives a sound?
Change in semantics changes perception for Wernicke aphasics (ex. they choose wolf instead of bear)
What language component changes how a person with Broca’s aphasia perceives a sound?
Change in phoneme changes perception for Broca’s aphasics (ex. they choose pear instead of bear)
What is the common syntax structure in english?
Subject + verb + object
- the exception is in the passive voice
Which brain areas, if damaged, impairs syntax?
Anterior brain areas (results in agrammatic aphasia)
What happens to syntax for people who have Broca’s aphasia?
complex syntax is misinterpreted (which makes the passive voice more difficult to grasp)
- they are not sensitive to grammatical cues, but their comprehension is still intact (i.e. they know that a whistle does not blow a person, therefore they can still understand the sentence, “the whistle was blown by the person”)
Describe the Flinker study in regards to passive listening?
- for passive listening, the brain activation occurred 100 ms post-stimulation, and there was a similar spectral pattern for phonemes and words
- there were brain areas that activated in response to both a word and a phoneme
Describe the Flinker study in regards to repetition?
- brain responses began at 80 ms post-stimulation
- adjacent electrodes responded differently to hearing vs. speaking
- there was response suppression during speech production
- *brain activity mimics output** (see Pasley study)
What did the Pasley study discover?
That cortical areas involved in perceiving a stimulus reflect the properties of the input (ex. waldo, brain tries and nearly succeeds in replicating waldo)
- this is seen in motor, auditory and somatosensory input (same cortical regions are activated when thinking about a stimulus vs. actually experiencing the stimulus)
What are the 4 pathways by which spoken language is processed?
There are 2 dorsal and 2 ventral pathways
What are the dorsal pathways regarding language processing responsible for?
For complex syntax, morphology and phonology
What are the ventral pathways regarding language processing responsible for?
They are responsible for low level semantic processing
What did the Rolheiser study find?
Damage to the arcurate fascilicus (dorsal pathway) led to deficits in complex syntax, morphology and phonology
Damage to the extreme capsule (ventral pathway) led to deficits in semantics
Describe how the neurological approach and psychological approach are different in how they explain language?
Neurological vs. Psychological
- anterior = speech - anterior = syntax,
output phonetic
- posterior = speech representations
comprehension - posterior =
comprehension and
phonemic representations
Which one correctly explains language: the neurological approach or the psychological approach?
Neither; they are complimentary
