language Flashcards
what are the five basic components of language?
- phonology
- morphology
- semantics
- syntax
- pragmatics
____________ refers to the actual sound of language
phonology
T / F - there are about 30 different speech sounds oin the english language
false, 40
explain categorical perception
when a language has subtle differenes in speech sounds that represent a chnage in meaning
__________ is the ability to recognize a word as being the same, even if the pronunciation of the word varies
constancy
______________ is the structure of words
morphology
___________ refers to the association of meaning with a word
semantics
__________ refers to how words are put together to form sentences
syntax
____________ refers to the dependence of language on context and preexisting knowledg
pragmatics
*the way we speak depends on our audience
explain the timeline of language acquisition
9-12 months = babbling
12-18 months = children add about one new word per month
18-20 months = “explosion of language”
2-3 years = longer sentences
5 years = language rules largely mastered
explain Chomsky’s nativist theory
existence of some innate capcity for language
focused on syntactic transformations or changes in word order that retain the same meaning
*I took the MCAT, the MCAT was taken by me = ability to understand that these mean the same thing is innate
______________ is a theortical pathway in the brain that allows infants to process and absorb language rules
language acquisition device (LAD)
explain the difference between a critical period and a sensative period
critical period = 2 year to puberty, if no language exposure occurs during this time, later trianing is largely ineffective
senstitive period = time when environmental input has maximal effect on the development of an ability
explain the learning theory (BF Skinner)
language acquisition by reinforcement
parents repeat and reinforce sounds that sound most like the language spoken by the parents
explain the social interactionist theory
language acquisition is driven by the childs desire to communicate and behave in a social manner
as the child interacts more, the brain circuits are reinforced
explain the worfian hypothesis
also known as the linguistic relativity hypothesis = language affects the way we think (not the other way around)
what part of the brain controls the motor dunction of speech?
brocas area
what part of the brain is responsible for language comprehension?
wernickes area
brocas ares and wernickes area are connected by ____________
arcuate fasciculus
what happens to an individual if their brocas area is damaged?
speech comprehension is intact, but the individual will have a reduced ability to produce spoken language = brocas aphasia
what happens to an individual if their wernickes area is damaged?
speech production is intact, but the patient will have a reduced ability to comprehend speech = wernickes aphasia
