Language

Question 1

What is meant by the productivity of human language?

Answer 1

The ability to create new sentences.

Question 2

What enables humans to learn language so much more easily than other species?

Answer 2

The human brain has 2 specialised areas for language processing. These two areas are called the Broca and Wenicke areas.

Question 3

What condition is marked by difficulties in language production, as well as impaired use and understanding of function words like prepositions, conjunctions, and word endings?

Answer 3

Broca’s aphasia

Question 4

Why do psychologists believe that young children are learning rules of grammar?

Answer 4

Their mistakes indicate that they are over-applying certain rules. E.g. to begin with children will say that they “went to the park”, but after learning the grammatical rule to add ed to the end of words they will begin to say that they “goed to the park”.

Question 5

The term “syntax” refers to the:

Answer 5

Rules of a language

Question 6

Researchers investigating the auditory abilities of the fetus have found that infants:

Answer 6

Prefer to listen to their mothers’ voices over other voices.

Question 7

Researchers investigating the auditory abilities of the fetus have found that infants:

Answer 7

Prefer to listen to their mothers’ voices over other voices.

Question 8

The smallest units of meaning are called:

Answer 8

Phonemes