Language Flashcards
what does language consist of?
phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics
phonolgy
refers to the actual sound of speech
morphology
refers to the building blocks of words, such as rules for pluralization, past tense, etc
semantics
refers to the meaning of words
syntax
refers to the rules dictating word order
pragmatics
refers to the changes in language delivery depending on context
theories of language development, what are they and what do they focus on?
focus on different reasons or motivations for language acquisition
the nativist (biological) theory the learning (behaviorist) theory social interactionist theory
the nativist theory
explains language acquisition as being innate and controlled by the language acquisition device (LAD)
the learning theory
explains language acquisition as being controlled by operant conditioning and reinforcement by parents and caregivers
the social interactionist theory
explains is as being caused by a motivation to communicate and interact with others
the Whorfian (linguistic relativity) hypothesis
states that the lens through which we view and interpret the world is created by language
speech areas and functions
are found in the dominant hemisphere, which is usually the left one
motor function
the motor function of speech is controlled by Broca’s area. damage results in broca’s aphasia, a nonfluent aphasia in which generating each word requires great effort.
language comprehension
this is controlled by Wernicke’s area. Damage results in Wernicke’s aphasia, a fluent, nonsensical aphasia with lack of comprehension
the arcuate fasciculus
this connects wernickes area and brocas area. damage results in conduction aphasia, marked byu the inability to repeat words despite intact speech generation and comprehension.
