Language

Question 1

What is language and what is its purpose?

Answer 1

Language is a system of communication governed by rules where you combine words into an infinite number of ideas

Question 2

What are the properties of language?

Answer 2

1) displacement
2) arbitrary symbolism
3) structure
4) open-ended
5) dynamic

Question 3

Property of Language: What is displacement?

Answer 3

It is communicating about ideas absent in the environment.

Ex. we can talk about mom and dad because they were not here

Question 4

Property of Language: What is arbitrary symbolism?

Answer 4

It is a symbol that has no visual similarity to a feature it represents.

ex. the words that do not sound similar to the object; cats find different language

Question 5

Property of Language: What is structure?

Answer 5

It is when discreet sounds go together.

ex. phenomes, syntax, etc.

Question 6

Property of Language: What is open-ended?

Answer 6

It does not have fixed limits or restricted, but it is broad

ex. run –> ran (not runned); sheep (not sheeps); etc.

Question 7

Property of Language: What is dynamic?

Answer 7

It is when language is always changing.

ex. old words to new words in English

Question 8

What are the five structures (or levels) of language?

Answer 8

1) Phoneme
2) Morpheme
3) Syntax
4) semantics
5) pragmatic

Question 9

Structure of Language: What is Phenome?

Answer 9

It has 44 different sounds (vowels and consonants)

A phoneme is the smallest meaningful unit of sound in a language. A meaningful sound is one that will change one word into another word. For example, the words cat and fat are two different words, but there is only one sound that is different between the two words - the first sound.

Question 10

Structure of Language: What is a morpheme?

Answer 10

It is when basic sounds still have meanings.

It is the smallest unit of language that has meaning. For example, the word “play” has one morpheme, while the past tense “played” has two morphemes.

For example, recharged is re/charg/ed and prefix/suffix/root.

Question 11

Structure of Language: What is syntax?

Answer 11

The syntax is grammar rules.

It is the study of how words are combined to form sentences and how sentences are linked together to create sentence structure

For example, the past tense for a ring is rung (not ringed). Three grammar rules are non-phrase, verb phrase, and noun going first and before the verb.

Question 12

Structure of Language: What is semantic?

Answer 12

Semantic is meaning including the meaning of words, phrases, and sentences.

Question 13

Structure of Language: What is pragmatic?

Answer 13

Pragmatic is using language in social situations, including what to say, how to say it, and when to say it.

Question 14

What is a dialect and how does it help demonstrate some of the properties of language?

Answer 14

Dialect is across generations. It is when different languages are comprehensible but have different rules, such as syntax, semantics, and phoneme.

It is a variation of a language that is spoken by a particular group of people or in a specific area of a country

Question 15

What are the rules governing using language?

Answer 15

Pragmatic - rules governing the use of language. There are 4 rules in language.

1) using language
2) social cues
3) establish common grounds
4) lexical entrainment

Question 16

Rules of language: using language

Answer 16

Using language - based on our purpose (tone, manners, etc.)

Question 17

Rules of language: social cues

Answer 17

Social rules
a) proximity - social rule in language
+ Differs based on who you’re
communicating
+ The more intimate the relationship is
= The closer the bubble
b) eye contact
c) Turn-taking
d) staying on topic
e) verbal/nonverbal (should match)

Question 18

Rules of language: establish common grounds

Answer 18

3) establish common ground/background
a) in friend group –> slang words that
you know
b) common ground shared background,
schemas, and experiences that are
needed for understanding

Question 19

Rule of language: lexical entrainment

Answer 19

Lexical entrainment is a shared standard term for object/level/person

Lexical entrainment is the phenomenon in conversational linguistics of the process of the subject adopting the reference terms of their interlocutor.

Question 20

What can a brain tell us about language?

Answer 20

Neurolinguistics
* Broca’s area - speech production; know what they want to say but struggle to speak and say
* Wernicke’s area - understanding speech; know what they want to say but their words don’t make sense

Question 21

What is the WADA test?

Answer 21

It is looking at the language and memory on one side of the brain at a time.

Left-handed brain
- speech production
- understanding
grammar and
concrete
nouns
- reading
- high in imagery

Right-handed brain
- abstract words
- emotional tone
- humor

Question 22

Which hemisphere can be developed when Broca’s area occurs?

Answer 22

Left hemisphere can be occurred with Broca’s area when the stroke happens.

Question 23

How does language develop?

Answer 23

It is innate. It allows us to learn a language so easily.

• language is modular –> language specific
  1) general skills
  2) cognitive skills –> pattern recognition
  like in math, social skills, etc.
  3) social skills
  a. Joint attention (the point at
  something –> someone looks at
  what I am pointing at)
  b. Like Me hypothesis (ex. copying
  faces between Dad and
  baby)

Question 24

What is a language acquisition device?

Answer 24

It is universal grammar and the ability to learn grammar

Question 25

What are the benefits of being multi-lingual?

Answer 25

1) expertise in language
2) more aware language is arbitrary
3) pay attention language
4) communicate with more people
5) better following instructions
6) increased non-verbal
7) protection dementia
8) cognitive outside of attention and
working memory

Question 26

Why should kids learn another language?

Answer 26

1) better communication
2) cultural awareness
3) better math skills
4) easier travel
5) better memory
6) international friends
7) heightened logic
8) better career prospects