Language in context

Question 1

brain structures involved in language

Answer 1

Brocas and Wernickes areas

the left hemisphere is better at dealing with novel stimuli; people who have learned language later in life show more right hemisphere involvement

Question 2

Aphasia and 4 types

Answer 2

An impairment of language functioning caused by damage to the brain

Wernickes - trouble comprehending language “fluent aphasia”, sentences follow basic structure but the words make no sense

Brocas - trouble producing language, comprehending is fine, aggramatical speech

Global - damage to both Brocas and Wernickes

Anomic - difficulty in retrieving the words for specific objects

Question 3

Autism and language

Answer 3

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by abnormalities in social behavior, language and cognition.

echolalia - repeating what they heard over and over

many never speek

Question 4

Does language influence thinking?

Answer 4

there are certain language concepts that exist in one language and not in other

grammatical gender also influences the way we perceive objects - we tend to describe feminine nouns in mkre feminine terms etc

Question 5

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis - Linguistic relativity

Answer 5

the language one speaks influences the way they think

Language and thought interact with each other throughout the life span.

Question 6

Linguistic universals

Answer 6

Characteristic patterns across all languages

eg. all languages have nouns and verbs

Question 7

2 types of bilingualism

Answer 7

Additive - a second language is acquired in addition to a well-developed first language

Subtractive - elements of a second language replace elements of the first language

Question 8

Advantages and disadvantages of bilingualism

Answer 8

advantages are usually only seen in additive bilingualism - when the level of fluency is more or less the same in each language : some enhancement of executive functions

they tend to have smaller vocabularies and slower lexical access

Question 9

Bilingualism : one system or two?

Answer 9

the single system hypothesis : two languages are represented in just one system or brain region

the dual system hypothesis : separate systems

• at least some duality

Question 10

When two languages mix

Answer 10

Pidgin - aspects of both languages mix and are involved in each other

Creole - pidgin can develop into an official form of language with its own grammatical rules

Question 11

Dialect and when does it occur

Answer 11

Regional variety of a language distinguished by features such as vocabulary, syntax and pronunciation.

Occurs when a single linguistic group gradually diverges towards somewhat distinctive variations

Question 12

discrimination based on dialect

Answer 12

linguicism - when different dialects within language are given social statuses

Question 13

slips of the tongue and 8 types

Answer 13

We have a mental plan for what we are about to say which is sometimes interrupted. each kind might occur at a different level of processing

1. anticipation - “an expiring expression” instead of “inspiring”
2. perservation - “he pulled a pantrum”
3. substitution - “after it’s too late”
4. insertion of sounds - “drownded”
5. deletion of sounds - “prossing”
6. spoonerism - “you have hissed my mystery lectures”
7. malapropism - “naughty pine” instead of “knotty pine”
8. reversal - “flutterby”

Question 14

Metaphor definition

Answer 14

a figure of speech which describes one noun by comparing it to another, in a non-literal way, that still brings out their similarities.

Question 15

Simile

Answer 15

a figure of speech that compares two nouns with words “like” or “as”

Question 16

4 key elements of metaphors

Answer 16

1. Tenor - topic of the metaphor
2. Vehicle - the word that tenor is compared to
3. Ground - the set of similarities between the tenor and the vehicle
4. Tension - the set of dissimilarities

Question 17

pragmatics

Answer 17

The study of how people use language

Question 18

2 different categories of speech acts

Answer 18

Direct - a direct relationship between the form of the statement and the function

Indirect - we want to reach our goals by indirect requests

Question 19

5 direct speech acts

Answer 19

1. Representative - a statement of belief
2. Directive - an attempt to get the listener to do something
3. Commissive - commitment to engage in future action
4. Expressive - a statement about the speaker’s emotional state
5. Performative - a statement about making new state of affairs

Question 20

4 indirect speech acts

Answer 20

1. statements about abilities (“can you”)
2. stating a desire (“I’d be grateful”)
3. Stating a future action (“Would you”)
4. citing reasons (“I need to know”)

Question 21

Pinker’s theory of Indirect Speech: 2 purposes

Answer 21

1. Plausible deniability

2. Relationship negotiation

Question 22

Language vs communication

Answer 22

Language is an organized means of combining words to communicate.

Communication encompasses not only language but also non-verbal expression

Question 23

4+1 maxims of successful conversations

Answer 23

1. Maxim of quantity - make your contribution it’s informative as required but no more
2. Maxim of quality - truthful
3. Maxim of relation - relevant
4. Maxim of manner - avoiding obscure expressions

+ only 1 speaks at a time

Question 24

5 cues for lying and truth telling

Answer 24

truth: more time speaking, more details, admitting memory loss, first person pronouns, closer to the topic of conversation…
liars: less time speaking, more errors, more generalized terms & third person pronouns, higher voice, dilated pupils, avoiding eye contact…