Language and Communication Flashcards
What is language
system that relates sounds/gestures to meaning
What are the elements of language
- Phonology
- Morphology
- Semantics
- Syntax
- Pragmatics
What do you call the sounds of language
Phonology
What do you call the rules of meaning within language
morphology
What do you call the study of words and their meanings
Semantics
What do you call the rules for effective communication (intonation, etc.)
Pragmantics
What are the steps to speech
- Recognizing phonemes
- Recognizing reoccuring patterns of speech/sounds
- Producing language-based sounds
- Producing first words
What are phonemes
- Unique sounds that can be joined to make words (syllables)
- Unique to different languages
Which words are easier to learn
Words that:
- They hear often
- Are content words (nouns/verbs)
- Beginning/end of sentences
What is infant-directed speech
Speaking slowly with exaggerated changes in pitch/loudness
What are the two language-based sounds infants produce
- Cooing (vowel sounds)
- Babbling (consonant + vowel)
What do you call the pattern of rising and falling in speech
intonation
What are words
symbols that represent other entities
How many children are born deaf
1/1000, 10% to deaf parents
Why do babies learn ASL faster than spoken language
motor skills develop quicker than oral skills
What is naming explosion
- 18 months
- learns 10+ words per week
- coincides w rapid cognitive growth
What is fast-mapping
Connecting words + meaning so quickly that you can’t consider all possible meanings
What are the two types of fast-mapping
- Underextension: defining a word too narrowly
- Overextension: defining a word too broadly (all things with wheels are cars)
What is phonological memory
Remembering speech sounds/nonsense words
-related to size of vocab.
What are the two styles of language-learning
- Referential: words that name objects/people/actions (intellectual tool)
- Expressive: social phrases (social tool)
What is telegraphic speech (1.5 years)
simple expressions (eat now, hit ball)
What age do you develop grammatical morphemes and sentences of 3+ words
2 years
What is a grammatical morpheme
words, end of words that make a sentence grammaticak
-ing, -ed, etc.
What is over-regularization
Applying incorrect grammatical morphemes
What is the #1 factor for predicting word-learning
how much parents talk to children
Why does the word gap exist
Stressed low-income parents often don’t have the time or energy to talk to their children enough.
How do behaviourists say children acquire grammar
through imitation + reinforcement
How do children acquire grammar (cognitive answer)
searching for reoccurring patterns
-s means plural
How do children acquire grammar (social-interaction answer)
through interaction with adults where both parties want improved communication
How do behaviourists say children acquire grammar (nativist answer)
inborn mechanisms allow children to infer grammatical rules from the native language.
What is the semantic bootstrapping theory (nativist answer)
children are born knowing the difference between nouns/verbs
What is the critical period for learning grammar
(0-12 years)
How to encourage word learning
- talk to children often
- naming objects together
- reading w them
- don’t complete their sentences
- encourage to go beyond minimal use of language
- make language fun.
Encourage effective communication
- take turns speaking/listening
- constructing clear messages
- become good listeners
What are allophones
people in canada who speak a language other than english/french
Why is it good for children to be bilingual
they have better cognitive control
What is cognitive control
- Ability to switch tasks
- More likely to understand words that are arbitrary symbols.
- Greater cognitive reserve
What is the cognitive reserve
slower decline of cognitive control later in life
