test 1 study guide Flashcards
language
System of arbitrary symbols that is rule based, dynamic, generative, and used as a social tool in communication
expressive vs receptive language
Expressive: ability to share thoughts and meanings through words
Receptive: ability to understand others’ spoken language (auditory comprehension)
5 components of language
- Phonology: how sounds are combined to make words
- Morphology: how words and smaller units are combined to form other words
- Semantics: how words correspond to things and events in the world; how language reflects a speaker’s intent or feelings
- Syntax: how words are combined to express meaning in sentence structures
- Pragmatics: use of language in different social interactions; rules for appropriate social interaction
phonology
how sounds are combined to make words
morphology
how words and smaller units are combined to form other words
semantics
how words correspond to things and events in the world; how language reflects a speaker’s intent or feelings
syntax
how words are combined to express meaning in sentence structures
pragmatics
use of language in different social interactions; rules for appropriate social interaction
communicative competence
Ability to communicate a message and understand concepts being communicated
linguistic competence
Use of morphology, phonology, syntax, and semantics
communication
Process of exchanging information about a speaker’s ideas, thoughts, feeling, needs, etc.; can be verbal, written, gestural
encodes
Transmitting information
decodes
Comprehending information
paralinguistic cues
Affect (facial expression)
Word stress
Gesture (head nod)
Speech rate and rhythm
Posture
Volume or intensity
Physical (distance)
Pitch
Intonation (statement v question) Inflection
Language Acquisition Device
The concept that infants have an instinctive mental capacity that enables them to acquire and produce language. Humans are born with an innate facility for acquiring language and without this, children would be unable to learn language as quickly as they do
Language Acquisition theories
Speech Acts
Behavioral
Cognitive
Social Interaction
Emergentism
Principles and Parameters
Speech Act Theory
Dore
theorizes language acquisition is based on semantic-pragmatic unit “speech acts”- label intent or meaning and result in an action
Consists of : utterances, questions, requests, promises, commands
Focused on communicative competence, not linguistic competence
3 stages: prelinguistic (development of cognition and affect) linguistic (1 word utterances) appearance of syntax
Behavioral Theory
Skinner
language dev. is based on operant conditioning (+ or – rx)
Positive reinforcement given for developmentally appropriate utterances
Chaining used to produce longer sentences
Imitation plays a role in language development, especially ritualized acts
Principles and Parameters Theory
Chomsky
language acquisition is based on innate structure in brain (LAD); language spoken in environment provides parameters for correct form
Principles: language general rules (apply to all languages)
Parameters: language specific rules (syntactic rules that vary with languages)