Language structure, Semantics, Pragmatics

Question 1

What is a Morpheme?

Answer 1

The smallest unit of language that contains meaning.

Question 2

What is generative grammar?

Answer 2

human language is shaped by a set of basic principles that are part of the human brain

Question 3

What are phrase structure rules?

Answer 3

A type of rewrite rule used to describe a given language’s syntax
- are closely associated with the early stages of transformational grammar, proposed by Noam Chomsky

Question 4

What is syntax?

Answer 4

the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

Question 5

Define modular

Answer 5

suggests that language processing occurs in distinct areas of the brain, allowing for specialization in handling different components of language.

Question 6

What is a garden path sentence

Answer 6

grammatically correct sentence that starts in such a way that a reader’s most likely interpretation will be incorrect; the reader is lured into a path that turns out to be a dead end or yields a clearly unintended meaning

Question 7

What is minimal attachment?

Answer 7

suggests readers or listeners tend to attach new information to a sentence in the simplest way possible.

Question 8

What is late closure

Answer 8

causes new words or phrases to be attached to the current clause.

Question 9

Give a basic description of Chomsky’s synaptic theory

Answer 9

Competence
The Speaker-hearers knowledge of the language
- Allows for grammatically judgements, even of sentences we have never heard before

Performance
The actual use of language in concrete situations

Question 10

Define parsing

Answer 10

to divide (a sentence) into grammatical parts and identify the parts and their relations to each other

Question 11

What is encapsulation in reference to parsing

Answer 11

Are different sources of knowledge separate, specialised components and do they interact with each other?

Question 12

What is stage 1 of the garden path model?

Answer 12

• Parsing done solely on the basis of synaptic preferences
  Two principles:
  Minimal attachment
• Go for the simplest structure
  Late closure
• Incorporate words in the currency open phrase or clause, if possible

Question 13

What is stage 2 of the garden path model

Answer 13

If the parse is incompatible with synaptic, semantic, thematic information reanalysis occurs.

Question 14

Describe interactive accounts of parsing

Answer 14

• Constraint based models
• All possible synaptic analyses are generated in parallel
• With the activation of each analysis dependant upon the support available at that moment

Question 15

Define lexical ambiguity

Answer 15

multiple meanings
Homonym: word with 2 unrelated interpretations

Question 16

What are the 3 ways of processing words with multiple meanings

Answer 16

Selective access
Context restricts access to contextually appropriate meaning

Ordered access
Activation on basis of meaning frequency, tried against context

Parallel access
All meaning activated

Question 17

Define lexical polysemy

Answer 17

Multiple senses
Metonymy: One part of an entity is used to refer to the entity as a whole

Question 18

Define pragmatics

Answer 18

the distinction between what a speaker’s word (literally) mean and what the speaker means by his words

Question 19

What is an inference?

Answer 19

The process of developing information that goes beyond the literal meaning of text

Question 20

What are the 3 main types of inference?

Answer 20

Logical
Based on word meaning

Bridging (background inference)
Relate new information to previous information

Elaborative (forward inference)
Extend the text with your own world knowledge

Question 21

What is the problem with inferencing?

Answer 21

Frame problem = how far do you go when inferencing

Question 22

State the 3 theories dealing with inferencing?

Answer 22

Minimalist approach

Constructionist approach

Search- after- meaning

Question 23

Describe the minimalist approach for dealing with inferencing?

Answer 23

Only two kinds of inference encoded during reading
1 = Those necessary for local coherence
2 = Those based on quickly and easily available information

Question 24

Describe the constructionist approach for dealing with inferencing

Answer 24

Numerous elaborative inferences are typically drawn during reading

Question 25

Describe search- after-meaning for dealing with inferencing

Answer 25

Sometimes we read more minimalist sometimes constructionist

Question 26

What is the Good enough interpretation?

Answer 26

• Using fast and frugal heuristics to arrive at a “good enough” interpretation of language
• Driven by assumptions of what the text is about
• Can lead to misconceptions, errors in interpretation