Language and Communication

Question 1

What is Language?

Answer 1

A system for communicating with others using signals that convey meaning and are combined according to rules of grammar.

Question 2

Human Language is used to:

Answer 2

1. Allow hunans to express a wide range of ideas and conceptions.
2. Allow humans to use words to refer to abstract ideas.
3. Allow humans to use language to name, categorize, and to describe things to ourselves when we think.

Question 3

4 Building Blocks of Language:

Answer 3

1. Phonome.
2. Morphemes.
3. Grammar.
4. Syntactical Rules.

Question 4

Phoneme.

Answer 4

The smallest unit of sound that is recognizable as speech rather than random noise (ex. kill or kiss).

Question 5

Phonological Rules.

Answer 5

A set of rules that indicate how phonemes can be combined to produce speech sounds.

Question 6

Morpheme.

Answer 6

The smallest meaningful units of language (ex. un-break-able).

Question 7

Morphological Rules.

Answer 7

A set of rules that indicate how morphemes can be combined to form rules.

Question 8

Two Types of Morphemes.

Answer 8

Function morphemes and context morphemes.

Question 9

Function Morphemes.

Answer 9

Tie sentences together or indicate time.

Question 10

Context Morphemes.

Answer 10

Things and events.

Question 11

Grammar.

Answer 11

A set of rules that specify how the units of language can be combined to produce meaningful messages.

Question 12

Syntactical Rules.

Answer 12

Indicate how words can be combined to form phrases and sentences.

Question 13

3 Characteristics of Language Development:

Answer 13

1. Children learn language at a rapid rate.
2. Children make few errors.
3. Passive mastery vs. active mastery.

Question 14

Passive Mastery.

Answer 14

Understanding or listening.

Question 15

Active Mastery.

Answer 15

Being able to make a sentence as an example.

Question 16

Distinguishing Speech Sounds.

Answer 16

Infants at birth can distinguish between contrasting sounds, 4 months later, they can only distinguish between contrasting sounds in the language they hear around them, and in 4-6 months, they begin to babble. Deaf infants using ASL begin to babble around the same time.

Question 17

Fast Mapping.

Answer 17

Refers to the fact that children can map a word onto an underlying concept after only a single exposure.

Question 18

Language Milestones:

Answer 18

24 Months- Two word sentences illustrate understanding of syntactical rules.
2-3 Years- Use past tense correctly.
3 Years- Can produce simple but complete sentences.
4-5 Years- Learn frammatical rules, but tend to overgeneralize. Language acquisition is complete, and becomes more complete.

Question 19

Two Theories of Language:

Answer 19

Nativist and Interactioninst.

Question 20

Nativist Theory of Language.

Answer 20

Infants can distinguish between phonemes regardless of language. Specific time frame for acquiring language. However, only explains why.

Question 21

Interactionist Theory of Language.

Answer 21

Developed by Lev Vygotsky, explains how language develops. Although infants are born with an innate ability to acquire language (nativist), social interaction plays a critical role (experience).

Question 22

Broca’s Area.

Answer 22

Located in the left frontal cortex. Involved in production of sequential patterns in vocal and sign languages.

Question 23

Wernicke’s Area.

Answer 23

Located in the left temporal cortex. Involved in language comprehension.

Question 24

Aphasia.

Answer 24

Difficulty in producing or comprehending language.

Question 25

Study of Apes

Answer 25

Research suggests that the neurological wiring that allows us to learn language overlaps with apes (to some degree). However, their conceptual repertoire is smaller and simpler than humans.