Lecture 9 keyterms Flashcards
(34 cards)
What is the difference between language and communication?
Language is a structured system of symbols and rules for generating meaning, while communication is a broader concept that may not require structured language (e.g., gestures).
What role does writing play in communication?
Writing serves as a medium to transmit thoughts directly from one person’s mind to another using symbols.
What is language acquisition?
The process by which individuals, primarily children, learn and develop language.
What is the difference between innate and learned language?
Language may be an innate biological capacity (e.g., Noam Chomsky’s Universal Grammar) or learned through interaction and reinforcement (e.g., Skinner).
What did B.F. Skinner propose about language development?
Skinner proposed that language development occurs through operant conditioning, reinforcement, and imitation.
What is Noam Chomsky’s view on language ability?
Chomsky argued for an innate language ability, emphasizing structures like Universal Grammar to explain rapid acquisition in children.
What are linguistic units?
Elements of language such as phonemes, morphemes, lexicons, and grammar.
What is a lexicon?
The mental dictionary containing all words an individual understands.
What comprises spoken language?
Comprised of sounds organized into phonemes and morphemes to create meaningful words.
What are phonemes?
Smallest sound units that distinguish one word from another (e.g., /p/ in ‘pat’ vs. /b/ in ‘bat’).
What are morphemes?
Smallest units of meaning in a language, including free (stand-alone) and bound (affixes) morphemes.
What are free morphemes?
Morphemes that function independently as words (e.g., ‘tree’).
What are derivational morphemes?
Change the meaning or grammatical category of a word (e.g., ‘happy’ to ‘unhappy’).
What are inflectional morphemes?
Modify tense, number, possession, etc., without altering grammatical category (e.g., ‘walk’ to ‘walked’).
What is the phonemic restoration effect?
The brain fills in missing phonemes based on context to aid comprehension.
What cannot be separated in language?
Syntax and semantics are interdependent and must work together for language to convey meaning.
What is written language?
Uses graphemes and symbols to represent spoken language in a visual form.
What are graphemes?
Written characters that correspond to specific phonemes.
How does text appearance affect reading?
Font, size, and spacing influence the readability of written text.
What influences perception in reading?
Reading is influenced by the interaction between visual perception and linguistic knowledge.
What is readability?
The ease of understanding text based on design and structure.
How does font choice affect reading?
Font choice affects reading speed and comprehension.
What are eye movements in reading?
Saccades and fixations are the primary eye movements when processing written text.
What is the word superiority effect?
Letters are recognized faster and more accurately in the context of words than in isolation.
