Language Flashcards
True/False
Only humans learn language
Language is one of the things that separate us from other animal species
True
True/False
any human baby can learn any human language
True
Language is
A system of symbols and rules on how to combine symbols.
Language allows humans to convey
An infinite set of ideas
Language is intrinsic to
Cooperate, plan & instruct
Share ideas, experiences, emotions
Pass on knowledge
Think through problems
Exchange and preserve customs,histories, stories
What are the 5 properties that distinguish Language from other forms of communication
- Symbolic
- Rule Governed
- Meaningful
- Generative
- Displacement
Describe the Symbolic properties of Language
Linguistic Symbols are Arbitrary
a linguistic symbol such as the word Cat is agreed to mean a feline creature
the word symbol cat is agreed to have this meaning mean this
Describe Language Property - Rule- Governed
Language uses rules of Grammar and Syntax
set of rules that governs how symbols can be combined and ordered
-Szpilpm is Identifiably not an English word as English does not allow so many consonants without vowels.
- words good not this in order are.
True/False
Language rules are universal
False
different languages have unique rules which govern how language symbols are ordered and combined
Describe the property of Language - Meaningful
A Language must convey Meaning
semantics = the meanings of words and sentences
Meaning is not always obvious
-Duck can be bird or an action
- Idioms such as Bull in a china shop do not represent their meanings and these can shift
Describe Language Property - Generative
The small set of sounds can be combined into a huge set of words.– Hawaiian has only 13 sounds!!!– English has 44!
- which can be be combined into an infinite set of sentences.
- Following the rules, you can create unique sentences to express any thought.
Which property of language allows us to communicate about hypothetical or imagined topics
such as the past, the future or unicorns
The Property Language Displacement
Pragmatics =
Meaning in context of discourse
Semantics =
literal meaning of phrases and sentences
Syntax =
phrases and sentences
Morphology =
Words
Phonology =
phonemes
Phonetics =
speech sounds
what is the difference between phonemes and sounds
phonemes are meaning Changing sounds may not be
What is the smallest unit or building block of Language
phonemes
what is the smallest Meaningful unit in Language
Morphemes
unhappiness = 3 morphemes each one changes the meaning of the word
un-
Happi
ness
Words require at least one
Morpheme
What is bottom up processing of language
Input driven
Driven by the perceptual system.
– You start with the input and put pieces together
– Sounds combine into morphemes/words,words combine into phrases, phrases into
sentences
Input can be sounds, letters, signs
Input makes contact with stored representations, e.g., words
What is top down processing of language
Prior knowledge is used to generate predictions or expectations.
– Context
– Frequency
– Internal states
Our perceptual experience can be biased by our expectations or prior knowledge
– What did we expect the person to say?
– What do they normally say?
What is Speech Segmentation
The perceiving where each word within a spoken sentence begins and ends.
We use cues to help us segment spoken language.
Distribution of sounds
– [ng] never starts a word
– [h] never ends a word
– [glottal stop] only in the middle of words
how do people recognize words
Recognition involves matching the input stimulus (spoken or written word) with an internal mental representation
We store words in our Mental Lexicon– Like a dictionary, we store information about pronunciation, meaning, and grammar
What Factors impact word recognition
- Word Frequency - how often do you read, hear,say a word?
- Age of Acquisition - age when a child learns a word– Giant learned early but low
frequency
- Earlier = faster recognition
3.Priming affects word recognition– Semantic priming -DOG - CAT
– Form priming -Cat -CATALOGUE
– Morphological priming -Cat - CATS or Give - Gave - Context the meaning of the sentence a word comprises.
Which sentence would likely result in the fastest recognition of the word “moustache” and which factor of recognition does this demonstrate
a) The friend talked as the barber trimmed the moustache.
b) The friend talked to the barber and trimmed the moustache.
c) The friend talked to the person and trimmed the moustache
A. & Context
how does learning a word early in life impact word recognition and which factor describes this
Age of Acquisition
The earlier a word is learning the faster it is likely to be recognized
Summarize Forster Serial Search Model
– Searching is serial, meaning one word at a time
– Access files ordered by form & frequency
– Access files searched by bin– Access files modality specific
– Access files link to a modal master files or lemmas - Cat is linked to Lemmas - Dog,
mouse, whiskers
– semantically related lemmas inter-linked
– Strictly bottom-up processing
Provide a downside of Serial search models for word recognition
Serial Search models could not account for top-down influences on word recognition.
What Type of word Recognition Models account for both Top down and Bottom up influences
Interactive Activation Competition Models
how did Seidenberg & McClelland (1989) adjust Interactive Activation Competition Models for word recognition
Seidenberg & McClelland (1989)added weights to the connections.Frequent words have stronger links,so activation spreads more quickly to them
Damage to which hemisphere of the brain is more likely to result in Language Impairment.
the Left Hemisphere
Language is largely left lateralized
– Experimental evidence language perceived with right ear comprehended better than
language perceived with left ear
The Language disorder Aphasia arises from what
a lesion in the brain following stroke or brain injury.
3 types of Aphasia include
- Broca’s aphasia
- Wernicke’s aphasia
- Conduction aphasia
The below describes which form of Aphasia
patients with impaired speech but preserved comprehension
Non-fluent, agrammatic, slow, effortful speech; aware of difficulty
– “Yes… ah… Monday… er… Dad and Peter H…(his own name), and Dad…. er…
hospital… and ah… Wednesday… Wednesday, nine o’clock…
Found to have damage to same brain region– In front of and above the left ear
Broca’s aphasia
discovered by Pierre Paul Broca
Mid 19th c.
The below describes which form of Aphasia
Patients struggle to comprehend language.
Patients produce fluent but meaningless.– “Gossiping O.K. and Lords and cricket and England and Scotland battles. I don’t know.”
Made-up words; unaware of their difficulty.
Found to have damage to same brain region– area behind left ear
Wernicke’s aphasia
Carl Wernicke
Late 19th C.
Describe Conduction aphasia
Broca’s and Wernicke’s area are both intact but the connections between them are impaired.
– Comprehension preserved
– Speech is fluent
– Spontaneous speech impaired
– Repetition impaired.
– Aware of their errors
What are some reported cognitive Advantages associated with being Bilingual
Constantly having to switch language sets
– Which sounds are important
– Which language cues can I use for segmentation
– Which grammatical rules should I apply?
– What can I ignore
Constant practice in selective activation,inhibition, and attention gives rise to superior
executive functioning.
provide an example of Language Relativity
The language you speak influences the way you think about the world &the way you experience the world.
Boroditsky found that speakers of German used typically ‘feminine’ words to describe a bridge while speakers of Spanish used‘masculine’ words.
– Corresponded to grammatical gender in their language
