Chapter 11 - Language

Question 1

What is language?

Answer 1

A system of communication using sounds or symbols and enables us to express our thoughts, feelings, and experiences

Question 2

Why is the need to communicate using language considered “universal”?

Answer 2

Because it occurs whenever there are people

Question 3

What is emphasized regarding the development of language in humans?

Answer 3

All humans with normal capacities develop a language and learn to follow its complex rules.

Question 4

How is language described as universal across cultures?

Answer 4

There are more than 5,000 different languages, and there isn’t a single culture without language.

Question 5

How are languages described as “unique but the same”?

Answer 5

Despite using different words, sounds, and rules, they share common features

Ex. nouns, verbs,

Question 6

Describe the four characteristics of language.

Answer 6

1. Productive: must be capable of expressing an infinite combination of things
2. Regular: governed by a system of rules called grammar
3. Discreteness: the system can be subdivided into recognizable parts- Ex. sentences into words, words into sounds
4. Arbitrary: lack of necessary resemblance between a word or sentence and what it refers to

Question 7

Which area of the brain is responsible for language production?

Answer 7

Broca’s area

Question 8

What are two problems that happen during speech perception?

Answer 8

1. the continuous nature of speech without clear pauses between words
2. the variation in the pronunciation of phonemes depending on the context in which they appear

Ex. Be a big girl vs Big Earl loves his car

Question 8

Which area of the brain is responsible for comprehension?

Answer 8

Wernicke

Question 8

Which hemisphere of the brain does language tend to be localized?

Answer 8

Left hemisphere

Question 9

What is the meaning of lexicon?

Answer 9

All of the words we know–mental dictionary

Question 10

What factors affect our ability to hear and understand spoken words?

Answer 10

• the frequency of encountering a word in the past
• context it appears in
• knowledge of the meaning

Question 11

What is known as the structure of a sentence?

Answer 11

syntax

Question 12

______________ is the idea that information beyond syntax, such as word meaning and context, plays a role in how a person processes and understands sentences.

Answer 12

The constraint-based approach to parsing

Question 13

What are some context that can impact speech perception and language comprehension?

Answer 13

1. words with different meanings affect the interpretation of a sentence
2. how story context influences comprehension
3. how scene context, studied using the visual world paradigm, influences parsing, and
4. how the effect of memory load and prior experience with language influences understandability.

Question 14

How does the meaning of words in a sentence influence speech perception and language comprehension?

Answer 14

Ambiguity in word meanings can lead to multiple interpretations, making it challenging to determine the intended message

Question 15

“The defendant examined by the lawyer was unclear.”
Why might this sentence impact speech perception and language comprehension?

Answer 15

The word “examined” allows for two possibilities: the defendant examining something or being examined by someone else.

Question 16

How does the story context help overcome confusion in the sentence?

Answer 16

The story context aids readers in correctly comprehend the sentence, resolving any initial confusion.

Question 17

What is the main idea illustrated by the example “The horse raced past the barn fell” and story context?

Answer 17

demonstrates how story context is crucial in resolving ambiguity during speech perception and language comprehension

Question 18

What is the visual world paradigm?

Answer 18

A technique to explore how information in a scene influences the processing of a sentence.

Question 19

What were the results regarding eye movement patterns in ambiguous vs. non-ambiguous sentences?

Answer 19

In ambiguous sentences, participants looked at the wrong place most of the time
Non-ambiguous sentences eliminated the confusion

Question 20

What is the Structure of Language?

Answer 20

1. Phonology/ Morphology
   ● Phoneme: smallest unit of sound we can make
   ● Morpheme: smallest unit of sound we can make that has meaning
2. Syntax
   ● Rule for how to put together sentences and phrases
3. Semantics
   ● Rules of associating meaning with sentences
4. Pragmatics
   ● Social rules of language

Question 21

Using the sentence “The strangers talked to the players.” break down the structure of a sentence

Answer 21

Sentence: The strangers talked to the players

Phrases:
● The strangers
● talked to the players

Word: The, Stranger, Talked, To, The, Players

Morpheme:
Strange, er, talk, ed, to, the, play, er, s

Phoneme: stryng, pley, tuw