Chapter 8 - language Flashcards
what are the components, in order, of language?
1) phonemes - smallest sound of language
2) morphemes - smallest meaning in language
3) words
4) phrases
5) sentences
what is syntax?
rules for arranging words/symbols in a sentence
what is grammar?
rules for combining symbols and sounds
what is protolanguage?
early language used by earlier species of homo
what is cooing?
the first stage of language development, first six months, pronouncing vowels
what is babbling?
second stage of language development - experimentation with phonemes - consonants
when do one word utterances (similar to protolanguage) begin?
12 months
when do 2 word utterances begin?
18 months
when do the formation of sentences begin?
2.5-3 years
what is the sensitive period?
period that if children are not exposed to language before a certain age their language abilities never fully develop - 12 years
what is child directed speech characterized by?
higher pitch, changes in volume, use of simpler sentences, use of emotion, emphasis on certain words
early on, babies can perceive all sound contrasts… by age 1___
they perceive only sound contrasts that are phenomes in their native language
what are the the theories of language acquisition?
1) socio-cultural
2) conditioning and learning
3) nativist theory?
what is conditioning theory?
reinforcement and shaping - ex: child gets more attention if saying “mama” than “baba”
what is nativist theory?
we discover language rather than learn it - it is inborn
what is Language acquisition device (LAD)?
innate biologically based capacity to acquire language
chimps do not have what that allows them to speak?
a vocal apparatus
what is linguistic determinism?
language determines our thinking and perception of the world
what is linguistic relativism?
language influences the way we think
what is cognitive psychology?
science of how people think, learn remember and perceive
what is mental representation?
a structure in our mind (such as an image) that stands for something else such as an external object or thing sensed in the past or future not the present
what is visual representation?
thinking in images
what is visual imagery?
visual representations created by the brain after the original stimulus is no longer present - ie sports and music..activates brain as if doing activity
what s mental rotation?
imagining an object turning in 3D space - men better than women
in terms of verbal representation, what is concept?
mental grouping of objects, events, or people
which two ways can concepts be organized? define them
1) concept hierarchy - arrangement of related concepts general to specific
2) parallel distributive processing (PDP) - associations create networks, strength varies by association
what is inductive reasoning?
specific evidence to general conclusions
what is deductive reasoning?
general statements to specific conclusions
what are heuristics?
mental shortcuts used to make decisions and judgements
what is a representative heuristic?
strategy used to estimate the probability of one event based on how typical it is of another event ex: assuming new professor will act one way based on how other professors have acted
what is an availability heuristic?
decision making strategy based on how easily estimates come to mind or their availability to awareness ex: saying won’t fly in airplanes because recently saw news about crash even though its safer than flying
what is the conjunction fallacy?
when people say the combination of two events is more likely than either event alone
after what age does learning a new language become more difficult?
7
what is additive bilingualism?
adding a second language to original (ex: french emersion)
what is subtractive bilingualism?
when adding a language takes away from the first - seen in minorities
