Language 8.1

Question 1

How is language universal? (3 points)

Answer 1

Defining feature of humans
No language-free culture
Intertwined with cognition and culture

Question 2

What characteristics underpin language? (2 points)

Answer 2

Biological underpinning - similar developmental trajectory across cultures

Shared characteristics across languages - nouns vs verbs
negation
questions

Question 3

What is language? (1 sentence)

Answer 3

Symbols and rules allowing for communication

Question 4

What are the differences between symbolic and iconic systems of language?

Answer 4

Symbolic - element bearing no intrinsic resemblance to its referent e.g. duck/frog
Iconic - element bearing resemblance to its referent e.g. quack/ribbit

Question 5

How is human language discrete?

Answer 5

Finite number of individual elements
Morphemes - meaningful chunks
Phonemes - smallest unit of sound to make meaningful difference to a word
Grammatical rules

Question 6

How is language productive?

Answer 6

Combining existing elements in novel ways
Generate new elements
Recursion

Question 7

How is language combinatorial + discrete? (2 points)

Answer 7

Discrete combinatorial systems preserve lower-level structure within larger units
Most known combinatorial systems use blending –> properties of discrete elements are lost

Question 8

What is recursion? (1 sentence)

Answer 8

Recursion is the repetition of a rule or structure in a hierarchical way

Question 9

What is the difference in language use between apes and children? (7 points)

Answer 9

• Utterances mainly in here-and-now vs utterances with temporal displacement
• Lack of syntactic structure vs clear structure + consistency
• Little comprehension of syntactic relationships vs ability to pick up relationships between units
• Need explicit training to use symbols vs do not need explicit training
• Cannot reject ill-formed sentences vs can
• Rarely ask questions vs frequently
• No spontaneous referential use of symbols vs spontaneous use

Question 10

What are the 6 components that make up the structure of language, and what do they represent?

Answer 10

Pragmatics - meaning in the context of discourse
Semantics - literal meaning of phrases and sentences
Syntax - phrases and sentences
Morphology - words
Phonology - phonemes
Phonetics - speech sounds

Question 11

How is language produced and understood in a nutshell? (5 points)

Answer 11

• Choose an idea to convey
• Plan how to say it
• Controlling articulatory apparatus
• Segmenting sound / decoding squiggles / mapping hand movements
• Mapping sounds / shapes onto meaning

Question 12

How is speech production broken up into 3 parts? (1 sentence each)

Answer 12

Conceptualise a message (prelinguistic stage)
Formulate message into linguistic material (lexicalisation, grammatical encoding)
Articulate the linguistic signal

Question 13

What is the two-step process involved in lexicalisation?

Answer 13

Semantics –> words –> input phonology/output phonology

Question 14

What is spreading activation in regards to speech production and what does it cause? (3 points)

Answer 14

Semantic long-term memory consists of a vast interrelated network of concepts
Concepts closely related to presented concept are also activated
Priming effect - related words can facilitate recognition and production of similar semantic / phonological words

Question 15

What are 5 types of speech errors?

Answer 15

Feature preservation e.g. turn the knop
Phoneme anticipation e.g. the mirst of May
Phoneme exchange e.g. do you reel feally bad?
Word exchange e.g. guess whose mind came to name?
Word substitution e.g. get me a fork (spoon)

Question 16

How is speech planning an incremental process? (2 points)

Answer 16

Speakers plan what they want to say in small chunks rather than a whole sentence
During speaking, planning and articulation overlap in time