Unit 12 Flashcards
phonemes
the smallest unit of sound
morphemes
the smallest unit of meaning
motor theory
the systems associated with perceiving and producing speech are closely related. Speech perception is innate and species-specific
auditory theory
speech perception is derived from the properties of the auditory system and is not species-specific
Chomsky’s universal grammar
the structural rules of language are innate to us, supported by poverty of stimulus
poverty of stimulus
during language development there isn’t enough information in the environment to account for the learning of language
pronunciation vs ordering
words are ordered before we consider how to pronounce them (order before pronunciation)
active sentences vs passive sentences
we prefer active sentences over passive sentences
active sentence
the verb follows immediately after the subject: “I opened the door”
passive sentence example
“the door was opened by me”
syntax
ordering of words and their relations
coarticulation
process of phonemes blending together
categorical perception
the delay between the physical motions of speech and the vibration of vocal chords can dictate how listeners identify phoneme sounds
Broca’s area
area associated with production of language
Wernicke’s area
area associated with comprehension of language
