language Flashcards
What are the features of the taxonomic semantic hub?
3 feat, 1 area
features, categories, identification
anterior temporal lobe
What are the features of the thematic semantic hub?
3 feat, 1 area
events, relations, predictions
temporal parietal cortex
language is combinatorial
there are a few dozen speech sounds which can construct thousands of words
iconicity
creates a bridge from experience to linguistic symbols
quasi-regularity
language has rules and exceptions
different patterns capture the statistical regularity of language structure
(EX: spelling; not all spellings have the same pronunciation rules)
words are quasi-compositional
same words have different meanings depending on sentence context
hit the ball // hit the books
optimality in language
attempting to produce precision and simplicity in language – setting down a limited amount of accepted terms
[EX: kinship]
where is auditory processing in the brain
posterior superior temporal lobe
Heschl’s gyrus
methods for studying the brain
virtual lesions - non-invasive brain stimulation
neuroimaging - structural (MRI), voxel-based morphometry
- functional (EEG)
perceptual symbol system
concepts are defined by perception and action features; provides grounding for concepts
cognitive re-enactment / simulation
when imagining ourselves carrying out a concept, the brain regions involved are activated
= the regions involved in processing objects are also involved in representing object concepts
category-semantic deficits
(seen in stroke victims) some categories become specifically hard to perceive
sensory-functional distinction (category-semantic deficits)
in semantic categories, objects seemed to be divided into:
LIVING THINGS - defined by sensory knowledge
INANIMATE OBJECTS - defined by function
sapir-whorf hypothesis
labels influence how we think about concepts
semantic hub
central convergence zone, integrates different areas of the sensory brain
where does neurodegeneration of semantic knowledge happen
anterior temporal lobe
vocabulary explosion
begins at 14-18 months, start of dramatic lexical development, continues for years
verb learning - syntactic bootstrapping
verbs are defined via their suffixes and sentence structure
= we can infer meanings of novel verbs through their use
+ subconsciously classify words by their use
phonemes
abstract units of speech
the smallest unit of change that will change word meaning
[EX: minimal pairs; bat/mat]
allophone
variation that does not change word meaning
distributional learning
languages have distinct sound distribution,
when infants were tested, they were found to be sensitive to unfamiliar distribution of phonemes
= learn by sound distribution
lexical feedback - word superiority effect
phonemes recognised faster in words than non words
lexical feedback - Ganong effect
ambiguous speech sounds tend to be heard in a word consistent way
[? heard as g when ?ift, and k when ?iss]
phoneme restoration
if a phoneme is replaced by a noise burst, people tend to restore the phoneme
neural activity in the left superior temporal gyrus matches the perception of the actual word
tuning speech perception
a study created an artificial accent; afterwards ppts recognised non-words (which were words in the accent) as real words
= tuned into the accent as valid linguistics
syntactic ‘frequent frames’
lots of words have consistent pockets
‘the ______ in’
sentence parsing
sentences have a hierarchical set of relations
resolving syntactic ambiguity
principles used:
interactive - looking at influences of context and other constraints
incremental - syntactic parsing begins with the first word [can be wrong]
parallel - multiple parses are considered
competitive - grammatical ambiguity takes time to resolve and needs additional resources
syntactic priming
people hear a sentence with an object that is either passive or active
when asked to discuss the described event, they adopt the same syntactic choice
forward model of speech production
the brain simulates the motor plan to correct any speech errors
source-filter model of speech production
two stage process of the source (air coming from lungs) and the filter (articulators)
spoonerisms
speech errors such as ‘crushing blow’ = ‘blushing crow’
EXCHANGE - swapping first letters
PERSEVERATION - repeating a letter/sound in one of the next words from the last one
ANTICIPATION - ‘reading list’ = ‘leading list’
dysfluences
um, err, uhh
suggest planning is incomplete
common in aphasic speech
damaged posterior temporal / inferior parietal lobe causes…………
syntax comprehension deficits
damaged frontal lobe causes…………
syntax production deficits
language change is mostly facilitated by
precision-simplicity optimisation
technological change – written language to texts
communication accommodation
social, historical, and cultural factors that push speakers to adopt particular speech styles
interactive alignment
cognitive processes that drive convergence between speakers (social factors which drive communication)
intergroup dialect bias
language is a reliable social marker, groups had biases favouring their dialect
US NORTHERN VS. SOUTHERN DIALECTS
children started off favouring their own dialect, by 9/10 yrs both groups had developed the stereotype that Northern = smarter // favoured friendships based on native accent rather than race
types of social language shifts
conscious awareness - explicit decisions, language policies
overt prestige - switching dialects to ones known as aesthetically/morally ‘good’
planning - change can be planned or unplanned; emphasising local dialects for authenticity
