Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Linguistics > Exam 2 > Flashcards

Exam 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Why Linguistic Universals are a potential argument for the Innateness Hypothesis

A
  • Universals are unique to a language (not shared with other mental modules)
  • Hard to explain in any other way than to say that they are ‘built in’
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the two steps of finding Universals of a language?

A

Description

Explanation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Define description as a step of finding universals of a language

A

Gathering data

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Define explanation as a step of finding universals of a language

A

Formulating hypotheses, building theories

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

How many languages are in the world?

A

Around 7,000

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Explain the logical status of a valid linguistic universal

A

True language universals must be language-specific universals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Why we cannot say that any linguistic universal supports the IH

A
  • Something that is true of all communication systems is true of all languages… therefore it is not a language-specific universal
  • If a property is innate, it is universal… however, every universal property is not innate
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Criterial for a good universal

A
  • One has to exclude other possible explanations

* The universal has to be language-specific (i.e. exclusive to language and not some broader class of cognitive systems)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

List 4 possible alternative explanations for language specific universals

A
  • Monogenesis
  • Evolution
  • Neural Architecture
  • Other biological constraints
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Alternative Explanations for language-specific universals: define monogenesis

A

All languages stem from one mother language

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Alternative Explanations for language-specific universals: define evolution

A

all evolved things have hierarchical structure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Alternative Explanations for language-specific universals: define other biological constraints

A

Speech/hearing apparatus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Covert Universals

A

Regard the mental grammar which is ‘hidden’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Overt Universals

A

Regard properties of utterances which are observable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

language-specific universal

A

The universal is specific to the cognitive domain that we call language. (specific does not mean a type of language ex. English & Russian)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What are the 3 types of language-specific universals

A
  • Unconditional
  • Implicational
  • Disjunctive (Parameters)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Explain unconditional universals

A

X is (un)true of all languages

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Explain implicational universals

A

If a language has property X it will have property Y. Or it cannot also have property Y

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Explain disjunctive universals (AKA Parameters)

A

Each language has either X or Y

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What do parameters capture?

A

That the differences between languages are limited.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Universals can be…

A

Absolute or statistical

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Absolute Universal

A

All languages have X, meaning there is no language without X

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Statistical universal

A

All languages have X, meaning there is a strong tendency for language to have X

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is typological studies? What universal is it related to?

A

Covers large numbers of languages. Focus on shallow, observable, measurable properties of utterances. Overt Universal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is theoretical linguistics

A

Focuses on covert universals ex. properties of the mental grammar

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What is the nature side of universals?

A

Theoretical studies - assert that the mental grammar is based on an innate ‘template’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What is the nurture side of universals

A

Typological studies - is no reliance on innate properties of language.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Mention 3 ways in which one can collect data about language development

A
  1. Longitudinal - 1 child
  2. Cross-sectional - many children
  3. Diary studies
29
Q

Explain what is meant by habituation studies

A

What do they know before any experience

30
Q

Principles and Parameters model of language acquisition

A

Universal grammar contains Principals and Parameters

31
Q

Principles relate to what universals

A

unconditional/implication universals

32
Q

Parameters relate to what universals

A

Disjunctive universals

33
Q

What is Moderate rationalism?

A
  • Some of language is innately fixed (absolute Universals)
  • The rest is “innately variable” with limited values for each variable (Disjunctive universals
  • This balance is remains to be determined
34
Q

Explain the role of parameter setting in language acquisition

A

Parameters are innate, but their setting depends on language input

35
Q

What is language acquisition?

A

The construction of a mental grammar based on input utterances

36
Q

Is universal grammar and language acquisition device the same thing?

A

Yes

37
Q

List 5 characteristics of the process of language acquisition

A
  1. Universality
  2. Flexibility
  3. Rapidity
  4. Uniformity
  5. Stages
38
Q

What is ontogenetic development?

A

Children go through stages of language development

39
Q

List and explain 5 differences between input and output in language acquisition

A
  • Incompleteness: Children are not, or are barely, exposed to certain types of data. Yet, they can be observed to produce such sentences very early on.
  • Limitedness: Children are exposed to a finite input. Yet, all children end up with the capacity to produce and understand new utterances, including utterances that they have never heard before. Additionally, not all children in a given speech community receive the same input, but they do all end up with grammars that they are very similar.
  • Lack of direct negative evidence: children are not informed about what is not grammatical, even though occasionally parents do try to correct their child’s utterance. Yet, all children end up knowing which utterances are ungrammatical
  • Lack of Instruction: Children are not given explicit instruction about what rules of the grammar are. On the contrary, children acquire the rules of the grammar spontaneously and without deliberate attempts to practice. There is no explicit teaching
  • Errors: Children are exposed to numerous errors in the data such as ungrammatical sentences, hesitations, restarts, etc. that they hear, when people do not finish their sentence or mix up different constructions. Even though they themselves will also end up making similar mistakes for the same reasons, they do have the capacity to figure out what the rules are for making grammatical sentences.
40
Q

Formulate the poverty of the stimulus argument for innateness

A

•Chomsky said when the stimulus is so poor that it fails to reveal certain properties of languages, then these properties must be part of UG

41
Q

Explain the notion of structure dependency

A

•The movement rule is not based on the linear string of words; it must look at the hierarchical structure of the sentence.

42
Q

Alternative form of language acquisition: what is Statistical Learning

A

A child can detect, upon being exposed to sequences that certain combinations recur

43
Q

What are the major milestones/stages in language development that occur after babbling

A
  • One word stage
  • Two word stage 1.5 YO
  • Telegraphic utterances/simple syntax - making simple sentences at 2.5 years old
  • Grammatical Fluency - Increase in grasp of the complexities of language
44
Q

Formulate the argument for stages for the innateness hypothesis

A

Can the fact that the acquisition process goes through developmental stages always be used to support the IH?

45
Q

Explain the critical period effect

A

The influence of maturation state of the acquisition of language

46
Q

Critical period effect main conclusion

A
  • Before age 7 fully fluent
  • Before age 15 near fluent
  • After 15 individual differences
47
Q

Provide Lenneberg’s argument for the notion of critical period effect

A
  • Young people who suffer brain damage or loose a part of their brain in surgery will recover language
  • Older people will not (or not so easily)
  • Within the critical period the brain can ‘rebuild’ language
48
Q

What is a deprivation experiment

A

Depriving birds from input during a critical period and only get input later, they fail to learn the song

49
Q

The notion of the forbidden experiment

A

Deprive children from language input for different periods of time and see whether after that they can still learn language

50
Q

Explain the genie case and its relevance for the critical period notion

A
  • Genie could learn words and simple combinations

* Conclusion – When exposure to language comes after puberty, language cannot be successfully learned

51
Q

Which aspect of language was hard for Genie?

A

Acquisition

52
Q

Explain the relevance of second language learning for the critical period notion

A

Learning a language after puberty is going to be hard

53
Q

What is meant by length of exposure

A

How long someone is exposed to a language

54
Q

Explain the proto-language hypothesis and its relevance for the genie case

A
  • A elementary innate communication device that preceded UG
  • Genie achieved what she did by using her proto-language capacity which Bickerton believes is not subject to a critical period
55
Q

Typical properties of proto-language

A
  • Words for ‘concrete’ concepts
  • Word Combinations
  • Simple phonology
  • No recursion
  • Use of melody
  • Use of gesture
56
Q

Explain the splitting model

A
  • Hunter – gatherer life style
    1. Bands/tribes splitting up
    1. Languages change
  • Result – Different languages arise that stem from a common source
57
Q

What is language family

A

•Languages related through descent from a common parental language

58
Q

Explain the merging model

A

New languages can arise if different languages produce a mix

59
Q

What is Pidgin and its properties

A

•Pidgin – A mix of different languages – simple grammar and no one’s mother tongue

60
Q

What is Creole and its different properties

A

•Creole – What children do to a pidgin – they make it a mother tongue and give it grammar

61
Q

Explain the circumstances that lead to pidgin and creole languages

A

Plantations in the colonial period

62
Q

Explain the relevance of pidgin and creole to the the Innateness Hypothesis

A

The structure of the language is built in

63
Q

Explain why sign languages, such as ASL, are complete and fully-developed languages.

A

They have:
•Grammatical structure
•Acquisition stages (and critical period effects)
•Brain regions that are used

64
Q

What are familiar misconceptions about sign languages?

A
  • There is only one universal sign language
  • They are somehow based on spoken languages
  • Sign languages is a form of gesturing
65
Q

Explain how the existence of sign languages bears on the Innateness hypothesis

A

•They are full blown languages with all relevant grammatical properties and the same use as communicative systems

66
Q

Explain the consequences of late or delayed acquisition of sign language

A

There is a critical period for sign language and fluency declines with later exposure

67
Q

Define the notion of home sign

A

“Sign language” that is made up to communicate before any (sign language) input

68
Q

What is a recent sign language that was introduced

A

Nicaraguan Sign Language

69
Q

Why is such emergence of new sign language relevant for the IH?

A

It triggered language acquisition development (maybe)

Linguistics (3 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions