Chapter 7.1 The course of language development Flashcards
Language
the systematic, meaningful arrangement of symbols
- provides the basis for communication
Phonology
the basic sounds of language (phonemes) that can be combined to produce words and sentences
- ex. the “a” in “mat” is different than the “a” in “mate”
Morphemes
the smallest language unit that has meaning
- ex. endings “-s” for plural or “-ed” for past tense
Semantics
the rules that govern the meaning of words and sentences
- ex. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana
Prelinguistic communication
communication though sounds, facial expressions, gestures, imitation, and other nonlinguistic means
Babbling
making speechlike but meaningless sounds
- ex. repeating (bee-bee-bee-bee)
Holophrases
one word utterances that stand for a whole phrase
- saying “ma” to mean “i want to be picked up by mom”
Telegraphic speech
speech in which words not critical to the message are left out
- ex. “I want pony” to mean “I want to ride the pony”
Syntax
the combining of words and phrases to form sentences
Fast mapping
the process in which new words are associated with their meaning after only a brief encounter
grammar
the system of rules that determine how our thoughts can be expressed
Pragmatics
the aspect of language relating to communicating effectively and appropriately with others
- ex. turn-taking, sticking to a topic
- ex. being taught to say “thank you” after being given a gift
private speech
spoken language that is not intended for others, commonly used by children during the preschool years
Social Speech
speech directed toward another person and meant to be understood by that person
Phonemes
units of sounds
