Module 9 Vocab Flashcards
Phoneme
The smallest unit of sound in speech that can distinguish words (e.g., the sounds /b/ and /p/).
Morpheme
The smallest unit of meaning in a language (e.g., “cat” or “dogs”).
Syntax
The rules that govern sentence structure and word order.
Semantics
The study of meaning in language, including how words, phrases, and sentences convey meaning.
Pragmatics
The use of language in context and the social rules governing communication.
Babbling
The stage in early language development when infants make repetitive consonant-vowel sounds (e.g., “ba-ba”).
Telegraphic Speech
Early speech in which children use short, simple combinations of words (e.g., “want cookie”).
Overextension
When children apply a word too broadly (e.g., calling all four-legged animals “dog”).
Underextension
When children apply a word too narrowly (e.g., calling only their dog “dog”).
Overregularization
he tendency of children to apply regular grammatical patterns to irregular words (e.g., “goed” instead of “went”).
Cooing
The early stage of language development where babies produce vowel sounds (e.g., “oo” or “ah”).
Critical Period
A specific time frame in early development when language acquisition is most effective.
Motherese
The simplified, exaggerated speech often used by adults when speaking to infants (also called “infant-directed speech”).
Language Acquisition Device (LAD)
A hypothetical brain mechanism that Chomsky proposed enables children to learn language.
Receptive Language
The ability to understand language, including words, sentences, and their meanings.
