Language & Communication

Question 1

Language

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Grammar

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Is understanding passive or active?

Answer 3

Passive

Question 4

Is speech passive or active?

Answer 4

active

Question 5

How many human languages are there?

Answer 5

4,000

Question 6

Phonemes

Answer 6

the smallest units of sounds that are recognizable as speech rather than as random noise

Question 7

Phonological rules

Answer 7

indicate how phonemes can be combined to produce speech sounds

Question 8

Morphemes

Answer 8

the smallest meaningful units of language

Question 9

What are the 2 categories of grammar rules?

Answer 9

Morphological rules and syntactic rules

Question 10

Morphological rules

Answer 10

indicate how morphemes can be combined to form words

Question 11

Content morphemes

Answer 11

things and events (cat, dog, take)

Question 12

Function morphemes

Answer 12

grammatical functions, such as tying sentences together (and, or, but) or indicating time (when)

Question 13

Syntactic rules

Answer 13

indicate how words can be combined to form phrases and sentences

Question 14

Can infants distinguish among speech sounds?

Answer 14

Yes

Question 15

Can infants produce speech sounds?

Answer 15

No

Question 16

Babbling

Answer 16

combinations of vowels and consonants that sound like real syllables but are meaningless

Question 17

Behaviorist explanation for learning

Answer 17

We learn to talk through reinforcement, shaping, extinction, and other basic principles of operant conditioning

Question 18

Nativist explanation for learning

Answer 18

language development is best explained as an innate, biological capacity

Question 19

Universal grammar

Answer 19

a collection of processes that facilitate language learning

Question 20

Genetic dysphasia

Answer 20

a syndrome characterized by an inability to learn the grammatical structure of language despite having otherwise normal intelligence

Question 21

Can language only be acquired during a restricted period of development?

Answer 21

Yes

Question 22

Interactionist explanation for learning

Answer 22

Although infants are born with an innate ability to acquire language, social interactions play a crucial role in language

Parents tailor their verbal interactions with children in ways that simplify the language acquisition process