Lecture 9 keyterms Flashcards

1
Q

What is the difference between language and communication?

A

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).

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2
Q

What role does writing play in communication?

A

Writing serves as a medium to transmit thoughts directly from one person’s mind to another using symbols.

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3
Q

What is language acquisition?

A

The process by which individuals, primarily children, learn and develop language.

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4
Q

What is the difference between innate and learned language?

A

Language may be an innate biological capacity (e.g., Noam Chomsky’s Universal Grammar) or learned through interaction and reinforcement (e.g., Skinner).

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5
Q

What did B.F. Skinner propose about language development?

A

Skinner proposed that language development occurs through operant conditioning, reinforcement, and imitation.

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6
Q

What is Noam Chomsky’s view on language ability?

A

Chomsky argued for an innate language ability, emphasizing structures like Universal Grammar to explain rapid acquisition in children.

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7
Q

What are linguistic units?

A

Elements of language such as phonemes, morphemes, lexicons, and grammar.

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8
Q

What is a lexicon?

A

The mental dictionary containing all words an individual understands.

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9
Q

What comprises spoken language?

A

Comprised of sounds organized into phonemes and morphemes to create meaningful words.

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10
Q

What are phonemes?

A

Smallest sound units that distinguish one word from another (e.g., /p/ in ‘pat’ vs. /b/ in ‘bat’).

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11
Q

What are morphemes?

A

Smallest units of meaning in a language, including free (stand-alone) and bound (affixes) morphemes.

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12
Q

What are free morphemes?

A

Morphemes that function independently as words (e.g., ‘tree’).

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13
Q

What are derivational morphemes?

A

Change the meaning or grammatical category of a word (e.g., ‘happy’ to ‘unhappy’).

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14
Q

What are inflectional morphemes?

A

Modify tense, number, possession, etc., without altering grammatical category (e.g., ‘walk’ to ‘walked’).

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15
Q

What is the phonemic restoration effect?

A

The brain fills in missing phonemes based on context to aid comprehension.

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16
Q

What cannot be separated in language?

A

Syntax and semantics are interdependent and must work together for language to convey meaning.

17
Q

What is written language?

A

Uses graphemes and symbols to represent spoken language in a visual form.

18
Q

What are graphemes?

A

Written characters that correspond to specific phonemes.

19
Q

How does text appearance affect reading?

A

Font, size, and spacing influence the readability of written text.

20
Q

What influences perception in reading?

A

Reading is influenced by the interaction between visual perception and linguistic knowledge.

21
Q

What is readability?

A

The ease of understanding text based on design and structure.

22
Q

How does font choice affect reading?

A

Font choice affects reading speed and comprehension.

23
Q

What are eye movements in reading?

A

Saccades and fixations are the primary eye movements when processing written text.

24
Q

What is the word superiority effect?

A

Letters are recognized faster and more accurately in the context of words than in isolation.

25
Q

What is the word frequency effect?

A

Frequently encountered words are processed more quickly than rare ones.

26
Q

How does the brain compensate for missing information?

A

The brain uses context to infer omitted linguistic elements.

27
Q

What is lexical ambiguity?

A

Words with multiple meanings (e.g., ‘bank’) are resolved through contextual cues.

28
Q

What is biased dominance?

A

When one meaning of an ambiguous word is used more frequently than others.

29
Q

What are garden path sentences?

A

Sentences that initially mislead readers into incorrect interpretations (e.g., ‘The horse raced past the barn fell’).

30
Q

What do eye-tracking studies show about garden path sentences?

A

Eye-tracking studies show increased fixation times during misinterpretation of such sentences.

31
Q

What does EEG reveal about garden path sentences?

A

Brain activity increases when resolving ambiguity in garden path sentences.

32
Q

What does the study of language and thought explore?

A

Explores the relationship between language and cognition.

33
Q

What does the study of language and perception examine?

A

Examines how language influences sensory experiences.

34
Q

What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

A

The idea that language shapes thought processes and perception, with strong and weak versions.