Terms Flashcards
Aphasia
A language disorder caused by brain damage, affecting the ability to speak, understand, read, or write.
Arcuate Fasciculus
A bundle of nerve fibers connecting Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, crucial for language processing.
Broca’s Area and Wernicke’s Area
A brain region in the frontal lobe associated with speech production and grammar.
Broca’s area is associated with language production, while Wernicke’s area is associated with language comprehension
Dichotic Listening
A test where two different sounds are played in each ear to study brain lateralisation of auditory processing.
Lateralisation
The specialisation of brain hemispheres for different functions, such as language predominantly in the left hemisphere.
Malapropisms
Mistakenly using a word that sounds similar to the intended word but has a different meaning (e.g., “flamingo” instead of “flamenco”).
Motor Cortex
A brain region involved in planning, controlling, and executing voluntary movements, including speech-related actions.
Spoonerisms
Speech errors where sounds or syllables are swapped between words (e.g., “you have hissed all my mystery lectures” instead of “missed all my history lectures”).
Acquisition Schedule
The typical sequence and timing of language development milestones in children.
Babbling and Cooing
Early stage of speech development where infants produce repetitive sounds like “ba-ba” or “da-da.”
Early stage of vocalisation in infants, producing vowel-like sounds such as “oo” or “ah.”
Caregiver Speech
Simplified and exaggerated speech used by adults to communicate with young children (e.g., baby talk)
Holophrastic
The use of a single word to express a complete thought, common in early speech (e.g., “milk” to mean “I want milk”).
One-Word Stage
A stage of language acquisition where children use single words to communicate (around 12-18 months).
Overextension
When a child applies a word to a broader range of objects than appropriate (e.g., calling all animals “dog”).
Overgeneralisation
Applying grammatical rules too widely, such as “goed” instead of “went.”
Telegraphic Speech
Short, simple phrases typical of early language development, omitting smaller words (e.g., “want cookie”).
Two-Word Stage
A stage where children begin combining two words to express ideas (e.g., “mommy go”).
Affective Factors
Emotional and psychological influences on language learning, such as anxiety or motivation.
Communicative Competence
The ability to use language effectively and appropriately in social contexts.
Fossilisation
The phenomenon where incorrect language usage becomes fixed in a learner’s speech.
Heritage Language
A language spoken at home that is different from the dominant language of the broader society.
Input
Language exposure that a learner receives, which is crucial for language acquisition.
Interlanguage
A learner’s evolving linguistic system that blends elements of their native language and the target language.
Motivation
The desire or drive to learn a language, which significantly impacts success.
Teaching Method
The approach or strategy used by educators to facilitate language learning.
Transfer
Applying knowledge from one language to another, which can result in errors (negative transfer) or facilitate learning (positive transfer).
Articulatory Parameters
Features of sign language articulation, including handshape, location, movement, palm orientation, and facial expressions.
ASL (American Sign Language)
A natural language used by the Deaf community in the United States, based on visual gestures and facial expressions.
Beats
Gestures that follow speech rhythm to emphasise points or mark boundaries in communication.
Deictics
Pointing gestures used to indicate specific objects, people, or locations.
Emblems
Conventional gestures with specific meanings, such as a thumbs-up for approval.
Iconics
Gestures that visually represent the concept being discussed, such as miming drinking to indicate “drink.”
Oralism
A method of teaching Deaf individuals to speak and lip-read rather than using sign language.
Sign
A complete linguistic unit in sign languages, consisting of specific handshapes, movements, and expressions.
Signed English
A system that uses manual signs to represent English grammar and vocabulary.
Alphabet
A writing system in which symbols (letters) represent individual sounds.
Cuneiform
One of the earliest writing systems, developed by the Sumerians, using wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets.
Digraph
A combination of two letters representing a single sound, such as “sh” in ship.
Ideogram
A symbol representing an idea or concept rather than a specific word or sound.
Logogram
A symbol representing an entire word, such as “&” for “and.”
Phonographic Writing
A writing system where symbols represent sounds or spoken language.
Pictogram
A symbol that visually resembles the object or concept it represents.
Rebus Principle
Using symbols to represent sounds rather than meanings, enabling phonetic representation of words.
