Language & Communication

Question 1

What is the nativist view on language?

Answer 1

That it is unique to humans.

Animals lack a common universal code of communication.

Question 2

What is the Darwinist view on language?

Answer 2

That it is not unique to humans.

Question 3

How did Noah Chomsky contribute to language?

Answer 3

Derived the model for the faculty of language mental ability to communicate.
Broad vs narrow sense.
Deep vs surface.

Question 4

Explain the broad sense.

Answer 4

Existence of some biological capacity that allows to readily master any human language without explicit instruction.
Sensory-motor system (physical means to communicate) + conceptual-intentional system.
Excludes organisms that are necessary but not sufficient for language (e.g. respiration).

Question 5

Explain the narrow sense.

Answer 5

Abstract linguistic computational system comprised of deep and surface structure.

Question 6

Explain the deep structure.

Answer 6

Abstract level of structural rules representing all elements necessary to under the meaning. Actual meaning of sentence.

Question 7

Explain the surface structure.

Answer 7

How the sentence is presented. Filled by transformation rules from the deep structure.
Structure of sentence.

Question 8

What is recursion?

Answer 8

Where rules can be applied more than once in generating sentences.. That… that… that…

Question 9

Explain how the vervet monkey alarm calls helped to inform how language is in the animal world.

Answer 9

Different alarm calls for leopards, eagles and snakes. Elicit different reactions.
Shows possession of FLB. Sensory motor + intention to communicate.
Inclusive with regards to FLN - only three calls. No abstract linguistic computational system.

Question 10

How are humans’ larynx different from monkeys?

Answer 10

Longer oral cavity ‘ much lower larynx in humans.
humans have two areas involved in motor control of the larynx. Superior area for voluntary control not found in monkeys.
But monkeys may not need it?

Question 11

What did Nim Chimpsky tell us about language?

Answer 11

Mastered 125 words. 20,000 sign combinations. No won initiative. Language level of a 1.5 yo human…
Showed limitations of animals’ brains.
Researchers also attempted this with gorillas, Kanzi and dolphins but attempts were to no avail.

Question 12

Can monkeys learn human grammar?

Answer 12

Tamarins could discriminate the grammar system in sentences seen before but not in ones not seen before.
No ability to process the grammatical system. -> good memory instead!
Don’t have a faculty of language like humans.

Question 13

What is the conclusion of whether FLB and FLN is unique to humans?

Answer 13

FLB - shared with other species.

FLN - unique human capacity. Animals lack capacity for structured language.

Question 14

What is Broca-Aphasia?

Answer 14

Expressive or non-fluent aphasia. Difficulty with grammar but not understanding language.

Question 15

Who is Broca’s most famous patient?

Answer 15

Tan.

Question 16

What brain area did Broca discover language impairment occurred?

Answer 16

Left inferior frontal gyrus.

Question 17

What brain area did Wernicke discover affected aphasias?

Answer 17

Temporo-parietal junction.

Question 18

What is Wernicke-Aphasia?

Answer 18

Sensory or fluent aphasia. Difficulty understanding language but perfect grammar.

Question 19

How many components does Wernicke’s Geschwind Model have?

Answer 19

7.

Question 20

What are the two main components to the Geschwind Model?

Answer 20

Auditory + visual pathway.

Question 21

What has lesion symptom mapping shown (neuropsychological evidence for Geschwind Model)?

Answer 21

That lesions are significantly associated with Broca’s aphasia and Wernicke’s aphasia.

Question 22

What makes it difficult to precisely determine language relevant areas (neuropsychological evidence for Geschwind Model)?

Answer 22

Often quite distributed lesions cause aphasia.

Question 23

Are language areas much more or less distributed than originally thought?

Answer 23

More.

Question 24

State the effects of brain surgery on Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas.

Answer 24

Broca - no lasting effects on speech.

Wernicke - no lasting effects on speech.

Question 25

What is pathology related reorganisation?

Answer 25

Where patients use other areas of their brain as they adapt to their illness.
This could show why brain surgery does not support the Geschwind model.

Question 26

State the effects of electrical brain stimulation on language (neuropsychological evidence for the Geschwind model).

Answer 26

Symptoms: naming difficulty, grammatical errors, failure to read.
Provides evidence that language faculty much more distributed than originally thought.

Question 27

Explain how Sperry’s split-brain procedure provided evidence for the asymmetrical language processing in the hemispheres.

Answer 27

Corpus callous was cut.
LH is language dominant. When words presented to RVF they were repeated easily, when to LVF there was difficulty verbalising.
Unable to describe anything in LVF.

Question 28

What are the language functions of the RH (Sperry)?

Answer 28

Read + understand numbers. Short words.
Can write but not speak.
Language mostly in LH but RH contributes a little.

Question 29

What are the three basic assumptions drawn from neurocognitive evidence for the Geschwind model?

Answer 29

1. Speaking, reading + understanding require basic mechanisms that process phonology, semantics + grammar.
2. Language processing areas may have other functions too.
3. Language processing areas are small, widely distributed and highly specialised.

Question 30

What is phonology?

Answer 30

Letter to sound conversion.

E.g. Chinese children distinguish between l and r but can’t after 8 months. Struggle to regain this afterwards.

Question 31

How do different native languages affect how we process language (English vs Italian)?

Answer 31

Different areas of the brain.
English - rely on lexical and semantic translation.
Italian - rely on sublexical translation.
Lead to differences in brain activation when reading aloud.

Question 32

What are semantics?

Answer 32

Object naming.

Question 33

How does naming different things affect how we process language?

Answer 33

Different areas are activated. If areas impaired = difficulty with object naming those certain objects.
None of these areas are in the Geschwind model!!!

Question 34

How does grammar difficulty correlate with brain activity?

Answer 34

Higher signal change when looking at complex grammar. Positive correlation.

Question 35

What part does Broca’s area play in grammar?

Answer 35

Involved in the perception of grammatical structure.

Question 36

Name the main weaknesses of the Geschwind model.

Answer 36

• Oversimplifies language.
  Many more brain areas involved than predicted by the model.
• Huge individual differences in brain areas involved!
• Can’t explain newer observations of the effects of brain lesions + surgery.
• Only partly consistent with novel neurocognitive accounts.

Question 37

Name the main strengths of the Geschwind model.

Answer 37

• Explains early observations of language impairments after circumscribed brain lesions.
• First brain-based account of language processing.