limba

Question 1

What is language?

Answer 1

It is a system of symbols and rules that enable us to communicate.
Symbols are things that stand for other things e.i. words.
Rules specify how words are ordered so that we are understood by other people.

Question 2

How does human language differ from communication in non-human animals? (3 ways)

Answer 2

1. Complexity
2. Humans use language to refer to abstract ideas
3. Humans use language in their mind when they think (inner voice)

Question 3

What are the 3 processes of breaking down the act of speaking in order to deliver a message? (Levelt, 1989)

Answer 3

1. Conceptualisation: idea of what you want to say is represented in your mind. Happens at the thought level. Listening to someone speak triggers thoughts of what you want to respond with.
2. Formulation: Mentally transforming the ideas you’re thinking about into a sentence. Thinking about the words you want to use and how they should be ordered in a sentence. This requires LEXICALISATION which is a process whereby thoughts that underlie our words are transformed into actual sounds. In your head you are grammatically encoding and phonologically encoding.
3. Articulation: physically uttering your message via speech. Tongue is producing sounds that are required to physically articulate words.

Question 4

What are the units of language?

Answer 4

Phonemes: the smallest units of sound that can be recognised as speech rather than just some random noises e.g. th

Morphemes: combining phonemes produced morphemes. These are words. Smallest meaningful units of language.

Phrases: combination of morphemes.

Sentences: combination of phrases.

Question 5

What are the 5 categories for the kinds of things we say? (Searle)

Answer 5

1. Representative speech act: asserting a fact or giving a statement that we believe to be true
2. Directive: directing someone to do something for you
3. Commissive: asserting a future goal or promise. Committing to do something in the future.
4. Expressive: revealing our internal psychological state. e.g. I am happy
5. Declarative: announcing a new state of affairs; bringing an immediate change in the world. Declaring someone husband and wife.

Question 6

What can infants do as soon as they are born?

Answer 6

They can distinguish between all sounds that exist in all human languages. They lose this ability by 6 months of age. E.g. Japanese ‘r’ and ‘l’.

Question 7

What are the milestones babies reach?

Answer 7

0-4 months - can tell the difference between speech sounds (phonemes)

6-10 months - able to understand some words

10-12 months - able to use single words

12-18 months - limited vocabulary of 30-50 words

18-24 months - two-word phrases ordered according to syntactic rules. Understands rules

24-36 months - 1000 words. Production of phrases and incomplete sentences

36-60 months - 10000 words. Produce full sentences

Question 8

What is the behaviourist explanation for language development?

Answer 8

According to Skinner operant conditioning, babies make noises randomly and when they receive a positive response from parents, they learn that they should keep making those sounds as they elicit a rewarding response. They avoid noises that elicit a negative response.

Question 9

What is the nativist approach for language development? (Chomsky)

Answer 9

Parents don’t teach their kids grammar from a young age and they are still good at it.
We are born with an innate capacity for language.

Question 10

What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

Answer 10

The language that we speak changes or determines the way we think. The language that we speak determines our perception of the world.

E.g. In an Australian aboriginal language there are no words for up and down. They use south and north. Hence why they are better at navigation and solving mazes.

Question 11

Can language change the way people think?

Answer 11

Yes.