language

Question 1

What is meant by arbitrary signs

Answer 1

No transparent or intrinsic relation between the sign and its reference, not iconic, not onomatopoeic (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle, quack)

Question 2

What is a communication system

Answer 2

set of shared rules that establish a systematic mapping between words and the world

Question 3

What are some characteristics of a natural language according to Hockett

Answer 3

• semanticity
• discreteness
• displacement
• cultural transmission
• duality of patterning
• productivity
• combination of units at several levels

Question 4

What are the two components of language processing

Answer 4

comprehension and production

Question 5

define comprehension

Answer 5

• recognising words and sounds
• accessing the meaning of the word
• combining words into a message

Question 6

define production

Answer 6

fluent speech takes longer to appear in learning and speaking involves
- retrieving words from memory
- putting words together
- fine grained motor planning

Question 7

define duality of patterning

Answer 7

a handful of meaningless sounds can be combined to produce thousands of meaningful words (P-A-T, T-A-P, A-P-T)

Question 7

define productivity

Answer 7

new words can be created and generated

Question 8

what were the attempts to teach primates to speak?

Answer 8

Animals do not have complex systems in the wild but can they learn a human language?
Chimpanzee Vicky raised in a family alongside a child
- intensive speech therapy
- could say 4 words (mama, papa, cup, up)

Question 9

What were the attempts to teach sign language?

Answer 9

Animals cannot learn speech but can they learn a language>
Intensive practice and training with modified American Sign language
Not very clear that signs were spontaneous

Question 10

Describe the case of Kanzi

Answer 10

Spontaneously learned looking at his mother
Best examples of apes’ cognitive abilities in optimal conditions
Makes tools and plan complex actions
Knows hundreds of words
Understands sentences and word order and complex phrases like 2 year old
This suggests something a lot closer to human language

Question 11

What’s the difference between dolphins in the wild and in captivity

Answer 11

In the wild: they’re sociable, learning from parent to child, signature clicks, creative behaviour, cross species cooperation

In captivity: capable of high cognitive abilities, categorise objects, complex concepts, artificial language with word order variation

Question 12

What’s the brain body mass ratio in dolphins vs humans

Answer 12

dolphins 0.9% and humans 2.1%