Cult and Language Kreiner (Pysch 4700)

Question 1

What is a morpheme?

Answer 1

Smallest unit of language that carries meaning by itself

Question 2

What are phonemes?

Answer 2

Individual speech sounds

Question 3

What is meant by the language universal discrete?

Answer 3

Languages similar to another although but can differ in one or more specific elements like morphemes and phonemes

Question 4

What is meant by the language universal hierarchical? Example

Answer 4

Small units are combines into larger one. Phonemes are combines into morphemes, which are combined into phrases, which are combined into sentences.

Question 5

What are the other 3 language universals?

Answer 5

Contain words that fall into different grammatical categories.
All language provide a way to create new sentences, making the number of possible sentences in any language infinite.
Languages have to be acquired, transmitted culturally.

Question 6

Illustrating Content tied Linguistic Universals
She carried a boatload(truckload) of books(boots).
The musicians talked to the dancers.
The happy child played with her energetic puppy.
Try elaborating on the sentences in B & C.

Answer 6

A

Question 7

What are the language colour universals?

Answer 7

If language contains only 2 colour terms likely it is black and white. if have a 3rd likely red. 4th is likely to be green

Question 8

What are language universal sound pattern preferences?

Answer 8

Similarities in the sound patterns within words occur above chance level. Blif preferred over lbif. The preferences across languages is for syllables that have fuller founds toward the middle as opposed to the beginning or end of the syllable

Question 9

Speak to language as an instinct

Answer 9

Any neurologically normal child acquires language without the need for formal training. If there is a language in the environment lacking a common language they will invent one

Question 10

Examples of individuals invent a common language when not present

Answer 10

NSL-Nicaraguan Sign Language: When indiv who speak diff native lang must comm w/ each other they may develop pidgin system which allows for communication but does not have the regularity of a full language. e.g. creation of creole languages as a result of the slave trade. Successive cohorts of NSL speakers change the language e.g. by improving the ability to comm the temporal order of events.
Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language. Many ppl deaf in Israel, treated equally, hearing able to comm with ABSL. Not derivative of existing language (Note: 3rd generation (grandchild learning the language) ; prefer SOV(subject-object-verb order) word order)

Question 11

Sample research on lang for colours Dani vs English

Answer 11

Dani only has 2 colour terms: mola refers to bright colours while mili refers to dark colours. Both english and Dani speakers both dispaly better memory for focal colours. Dani perceive differences between other colours.

Question 12

Sample research on lang colours Berinmo vs English

Answer 12

Berinmo 5 basic colour terms that do not correspond with eng colour terms. The results, for both Berinmo and English speakers, indicated that we more easily perceive differences between colours when our language uses different colour terms to label them. e.g. Berinmo word nol included blue and green. Robertson (200) found that english speakers were better at discriminating within blue or within green and Berinmo did not shown this pattern. Nol and war within the green category. Berinmo speakers able to distinguish shades of nol from shades of wor than shades within these 2 colours. Indiv better able to disinuigh among diff colours if language contains different words for those colours.

Question 13

Whorf’s hypothesis and strong and weak form

Answer 13

Claim that lang we know could affect the wya we think about the world. e.g. empty gas drum not able to think about possibility of flammable vapors in the drum.
The strong form claims that we are not able to think about a distinction that is not made in our language. Untenable can think about concept even if don’t have a word for it e.g. 2 shades of green dist but nor words.
Weak form - we perceive the world differently depending on the categories in our language and the preferences of our culture. evidence indicates that lang can affect thinking even if it does not limit what we can think about.

Question 14

What helps misunderstandings in language?

Answer 14

Awareness of culture variability
back-translation
taking into account different experiences

Question 15

Describe the doctor-patient & health issues miscommunication study.

Answer 15

31% misunderstanding of consultations recorded. 2/3 of misunderstandings occured w/ patients who had limited eng lang. Mostly lang than culture diff. Nigeria to London physician stress “what” than “said” misunderstood skepticism e.g., intonation on “That’s what they said”)

Question 16

Describe the Haitian vs Hispanic study on consequences of miscommunication

Answer 16

Haitian more difficulty communicating w/ case workers than Hispanic. Result delayed services and need for multiple visits for app accepted. Suggested that diff might be due to Hispanic clients having no difficulty finding Hispanic case workers.

Question 17

Describe how conversational directness (CD)can cause misunderstandings and describe the study on CD

Answer 17

Conversational indirectness did btw sentence meaning (as determined by the words and syntax, without use of context) and the speaker’s intended meaning. 1-way CD can vary is in terms of work and non work contexts. Family “did you bathe recently” while indirectness may be expected in more formal settings such as at work “there’s a great sale on body wash” Amer less reliance on indirect comm in work than social settings but diff does not occur for East Asians. Reduce misunderstanding by incr. awareness that others may not share our assumptions about the appropriate level of directness in conversation.

Question 18

What can be said about figurative language and misunderstandings?

Answer 18

May not translate well across cultures. US vs Japan college students less easy to translate the more they perceived a target lang as diff from their own. Generally literal meaning of a metaphor is more simialr to intended figurative meaning more likely to translate accurately. “hurricane eye” easier appearance but not function

Question 19

Review the last 2 pages of this

Answer 19

a