Language & Brain Flashcards
What is language?
A system for representing and communicating information that uses words combined according to grammatical rules
Encompasses spoken, written, and signed forms.
What are examples of animal communication?
- Bees
- Primates
- Dolphins and whales
Investigates various forms of communication in the animal kingdom.
What is the significance of the descent of the larynx in language evolution?
Occurred 100-200k years ago
This anatomical change is linked to the development of complex speech.
When did the FOXP2 gene divergence occur?
Approximately 200k years ago
This was the beginning of modern language
Also present in Neanderthals, suggesting its importance in language development.
What are phonemes?
Basic sounds of a language
They are the building blocks of spoken language.
2000 in total
What are morphemes?
Structural units of a language that indicate meaning
Examples include prefixes and suffixes like ‘un-‘, ‘-ing’, and ‘-ed’.
What does syntax refer to in language?
Word order
Different languages have different syntactical structures.
What is prosody in language?
Patterns of stress and intonation
Rising pitch often indicates a question, while falling pitch indicates a statement.
At what age does significant language acquisition occur?
By age 5
Language skills continue to develop significantly until around age 12.
Who was Paul Broca?
A neurologist known for identifying Broca’s area related to speech production
His work highlighted the connection between brain lesions and speech loss.
What is Broca’s Aphasia?
Loss of speech production but comprehension remains intact
Caused by lesions in the left frontal cortex.
Who identified Wernicke’s area?
Carl Wernicke
His research linked fluent speech production with comprehension deficits.
What is Wernicke’s Aphasia?
Fluent speech with a lack of comprehension = ‘nonsense speech’
It is associated with damage to the left superior temporal gyrus.
What is the Wernicke-Geschwind model?
An obsolete model describing language processing in the brain
It has been replaced by more modern dual stream models.
What is the dual stream model of language processing?
A model proposed by Hickok and Poeppel that includes multiple areas of the brain involved in language
It emphasizes the interaction between auditory and speech production areas.
What functions do the left hemisphere of the brain serve in language?
- Speech production
- Some aspects of comprehension
- Syntax and grammar
- Literal meanings
The left hemisphere is typically dominant for language tasks.
What functions do the right hemisphere of the brain serve in language?
- Some aspects of comprehension
- Prosody
- Ambiguous language
- Social communication
- More strongly recruited in sign language?
The right hemisphere plays a role in understanding the emotional and contextual aspects of language.
What is involved in the mechanics of speech production?
Vocal cords (air passes over these to make sound)
Phonation
What are the types of sound?
Dental fricative = using tongue and teeth —> makes ‘th’ sound
Labiodental fricative = using lips, tongue & bottom teeth —> makes ‘f’ or ‘v’ sound
When did symbolic behaviour evolve?
60,000+ years ago
What are phonotactic rules?
How phonemes can be combined
E.g. S and Z can’t go together
What is Broca’s aphasia?
- case study where a man could only say a singular word = tan
- loss of speech but not comprehension
- lesion in left frontal cortex
What does hemispherectomy show?
In childhood, if the right hemisphere is removed language is still preserved but if the left hemisphere is removed, language is lost but can be recovered due to plasticity
In adults, it is the same but removal of the left hemisphere results in permanent loss of language
