Mod 28 - Language and Thought

Question 1

the 6 language universals (mostly english)

Answer 1

spoken, written, gestured works conveying meaning

Question 2

phoneme

Answer 2

smallest lang. unit in spoken ( letters like b, a, t)

Question 3

morpheme

Answer 3

smallest lang. unit that has meaning (prefixes/suffixes like pre-, -ed)

Question 4

grammar

Answer 4

system of lang. rules

Question 5

semantics

Answer 5

different interpretations of the rules/grammar and their meaning

sounds convey meaning

Question 6

Syntax

Answer 6

meaning of rules, combining words into sensible sentences

Question 7

4 basic stages of language acquisition

Answer 7

1. Babbling
2. one-word stage
3. two-word stage
4. telegraphic speech

Question 8

babbling stage

Answer 8

3-4 months

infant makes rando noises unrelated to language, not learning

at 10 months they begin to match household’s language

Question 9

one-word stage

Answer 9

ages 1-2, child speaks in single words, generally unrelated to whats happening in the real world

Question 10

two-word stage (telegraphic)

Answer 10

age 2, child communicates in 2-word statements, likely still doesnt understand meanings

Question 11

telegraphic speech

Answer 11

child speeks in telegrams (ex. “go car”)

Question 12

how many words do children know by the time they reach 5 years

Answer 12

5,000-20,000

Question 13

how many words does a high school graduate know

Answer 13

80k

Question 14

Skinner’s language theory of operant learning

Answer 14

the principles of learning are association, imitation, and reinforcement

Question 15

Chomsky’s theory of Inborn Universal Grammar

Answer 15

Not all skinner’s theory, environment is only a part

there is a language device in all children, and understanding from sentences run from the surface to a deeper inborn level

Question 16

true/false: language is easier to learn when you’re older

Answer 16

false, opposite is true

Question 17

linguistic determinism: Whorf’s hypothesis

Answer 17

language determines how we think because language reflects a CULTURE

Question 18

arbitrariness

Answer 18

no connection between the symbols of a language and their meanings

Question 19

flexibility of symbols

Answer 19

terms shift to reflect change in the society

Question 20

naming

Answer 20

we assign names to all objects, making them recognizable

Question 21

displacement

Answer 21

prefix, suffix, past or future tense

Question 22

productivity

Answer 22

ability of a culture to create new ideas/meanings and put them into our institutions