Language Flashcards
1
Q
Language (Overview) (2)
A
- When we communicate, we send and receive information to others.
- most psychologists consider human communication to demonstrate the qualities of true language.
2
Q
Regular (2)
A
- Language must be regular, meaning that it is governed by rules and grammar.
- A sentence can be reorganized and still retain its meaning because of the system of rules that detail how each word fits with the ones around it.
3
Q
Arbitrary (2)
A
- The specific sound that is assigned to a concept does not present the concept in any way.
- The only exceptions are onomatopoeias.
4
Q
Productive (1.1)
A
- There are limitless ways to combine words to describe objects, situations, and actions.
EX. Particularly evident when observing native language development in infants who are actively experimenting with novel words and sound combinations that they have never been taught before.
5
Q
Saphir-Whorf Hypothesis (2.1)
A
- Language influences our thoughts and the way we perceive and experience the world.
- People from different cultures think differently because of differences in their languages.
EX. In French and Spanish, we assign gender to words, but not in English
6
Q
Morphemes (1.1)
A
- In oral language, these are the smallest units of sounds that contain information.
EX. Table (1 morpheme), table cloth (2 morphemes), Table(s) (2 morphemes…1 because of table and 2 because of plural)
7
Q
Phonemes (1.1)
A
- The smallest unit of sound in speech.
EX. /d/ /o/ /g/, /ch/ /are/ /air/
8
Q
Syntax (2.1)
A
- AKA grammar
- The rules that govern how sentences are put together.
- Each language has its own distinct rules about the order in which sounds and words can be combined.
EX. The French language assigns gender to objects.
9
Q
Semantics (2.1)
A
- While syntax defines the set of rules that organize the words and sounds in language, semantics refers to the meaning of each individual word.
- A sentence can have perfect syntactic structure, yet have no semantic meaning.
EX. “The colourless green ideas sleep furiously beside the kwijibo” violates no English syntactic rules, but it contains no semantic meaning.
10
Q
Language development (2)
A
- Humans are born with the ability to communicate their very basic needs through crying and reflexive behaviors during infancy. However, when children develop language, they can move away from this form of basic communication.
- Reaching milestones at predictable ages to see if a child is developing at a normal pace.
11
Q
0-4 months (1)
A
- Turns head towards sound source; makes noise when spoken to
12
Q
6-12 months (1)
A
- Tries to imitate sounds and later begins to babble; understands “no”
13
Q
12-17 months (4)
A
- Answers simple questions non-verbally
- points to objects and people
- follows simple directions paired with gestures
- uses 1-3 words in combination
14
Q
18-23 months (4)
A
- Follows simple verbal directions
- Asks for familiar items by name
- Starts combining words (“more juice”)
- Imitates animal sounds
15
Q
2 years old (1)
A
- Uses approximately 50-250 words.
16
Q
2-3 years (3)
A
- Speaks in 2-3 word phrases
- Answers simple questions
- Begins to use plurals and past tense
17
Q
5 years (3)
A
- Understands more than 2000 words
- Uses longer sentences (at least 8 words in length)
- Can engage in conversation
18
Q
6 years (2)
A
- Understands more than 10,000 words and continues to develop sentence structure.
- note that from 1-6 years old, children enter the “language explosion” phase where vocabulary increases very rapidly and most children have mastered the major aspects of language and the complexity of their syntax continues to improve. (6 WORDS PER DAY)
19
Q
Segmentation (2.1)
A
- If you do not speak a language, it may give you a perception that a person is speaking very quickly.
- This illusion is caused by the difficulty you have segmenting the speech stream into word units.
EX. segmentation experiment of identifying the word “dog” shows that children who were able to do this have a larger vocabulary and vice versa.
20
Q
Universal phoneme sensitivity (3.1)
A
- The ability of infants to discriminate between any sounds they’re tested on.
- Includes sounds that are non-native languages
- Adults lose this ability which shows phoneme discrimination that is influenced early in life.
EX. head turn experiment
21
Q
Theories of language development (2)
A
- Desired behaviour is celebrated when baby can say their first word, encouraging them to continue –> positive reinforcement.
- Social isolation and lack of pragmatics: the ability that allows children to communicate appropriately and effectively in social situations and conversations.
22
Q
Transparent Orthographies (1.1)
A
- Consistent letter-to-sound correspondence, so that a given letter will always make the same sound.
EX. “th-“ “sh-“
23
Q
Perceptual narrowing (2)
A
- The process where one loses the ability to distinguish between contrasts in sounds not used in one’s native language
- Children eventually lose the ability of the universal phoneme sensitivity.
24
Q
Holophrastic phase (1.1)
A
- When children uses a single word to indicate the meaning of an entire sentense
EX. “BALL” means “give me the ball”
25
Q
Fast mapping (2)
A
- Children learn the meaning of a word after 1-2 encounters.
26
Q
Expressive vs. repressive vocabulary (2)
A
- Expressive are words children can actually use
- Repressive are words that children understand but cannot yet speak. It is developed before expressive vocabulary.
27
Q
Overextension (2.1)
A
- Errors that involve using a fairly specific word for a broader set of related items
EX. A child may use the word “car” to label a bus, a truck or any moving vehicle. - Reinforcement to stop
28
Q
Underextension (1.1)
A
- Where a general term is used for a only a very particular instance of an item. Less common than overextension
EX. Child may use the word “dog” only for his dog, but not for the dogs he sees in the park.
29
Q
Telegraphic speech (1.1)
A
- When children use short phrases that contain only the most crucial information they are trying to communicate
EX. Telegram
30
Q
Overregulation (2.1)
A
- Syntactic errors that involve using a grammatical rule too broadly.
EX. Goed (went), foots (feet) - Reinforcement to stop
31
Q
Language Acquisition Device (LAD) (2.2)
A
- An innate mechanism that develops rapidly
- It was noted that although different languages have variations in grammatical rules, all languages follow a universal rule which humans innately use and understand.
EX. Children whose parents make them learn to lip-read will spontaneously develop a sign language, even without being formally taught.
This shows that sign language is not learned but based on an innate understanding of grammar.
EX. Children have a preference to of listening to speech over non-verbal sounds.
32
Q
Cognitive Neuroscience of swearing
A
- Basal ganglia is activated when you produce a swear word.
- The amygdala activates when you hear a swear word.
- They are taboo words that activate brain areas that are associated with negative emotions
33
Q
Content of swearing (6)
A
- The supernatural
–> Religious - Body effluvia and organs
–> evokes feelings of disgust - Disease
–> Evokes feeling of dread - Sexuality
–> Exploitation, incest, jealousy - Family/ heritage
–> General insult against family members to hurt pride - Hate speech
–> Words that denounce someone as bad or other because they belong to a different group.
34
Q
Euphemism
A
- a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
35
Q
Dysphemism
A
- a derogatory or unpleasant term used instead of a pleasant or neutral one
36
Q
Emphatic swearing
A
- intended to draw additional attention to what is considered to be worth paying attention to.
EX. F-ing brilliant
37
Q
Cathartic swearing
A
- Rage-circuit theory: When the outcome of responding aggressively to a threat is successful (releasing frustration)
