Week 13: Language Flashcards
Language
A method of communicating information including: thoughts, ideas, emotions.
Semanticity
The extent to which a language can use symbols to communicate meaningful messages.
Generativity
Using many limited amount of symbols (words/vocabulary) strung together to communicate unlimited complex ideas and thoughts.
Displacement
The ability to convey messages that are not tied to the immediate time, messages conveying information about the past, future or about some other time.
Psycholinguistics
Branch of Cognitive Psychology
The study of learning language, understanding language and making language (acquisition, comprehension and production).
Phonology
The rules that govern sound
Phonemes
Distinct units of sound that distinguish one word from another word. “rice” vs “lice”
Morpheme
Is the smallest unit of sound that has meaning. -ed is a morpheme that can be added onto another free morpheme and makes the meaning change into past tense.
Pragmatics
The social rules of language that allows people to communicate meaningfully in different situations and for different purposes.
Syntax
How words are strung together to form sentences and the rules of grammar.
Articulators
Structures of the jaw that make speech
- tongue
- lips
- soft palate
- hard palate
Coarticulation
Individual phonemes are not distinct and can change depending on what sounds come before and after it.
IDT (Infant Directed Talk)
An exaggerated,emotionally expressive way of verbally or non verbally communicating with babies/infants/children.
It helps children differentiate between positive and negative tones and also is a key in understanding words and language overall.
Overextend
When an infant is acquiring language and confuses the pragmatics (meaning in different situations) of labelling by generalizing content to a wider meaning than appropriate.
THINK: Marcus saying “baa” to any farm animal
Underextend
When an infant is acquiring language and confuses the pragmatics (meaning in different situations) of labelling by limiting content to a more specific meaning than appropriate.
THINK: Parker saying “Parker, other parker” instead of Parker and Nelson.
Telegraphic Speech
Phrases that are strung together with only nouns and verbs, in the correct order, that communicate a thought. (Telegraphs charged per letter so you try to convey the message in as little letters possible).
THINK: “Bring laundry”
Nativism
The linguistics theory that children are born with an innate knowledge of grammar (Nature not nurture, Noam Chompsky)
FOXP2
Serves as a proof to genetics vs nurture (proves the Nativist Theory)
The gene found on chromosome 7, discovered by Dr. Fisher that explained an interesting language disorder rooted in speech articulation. The KE family can think about a task and perform the task but they can not describe how to do the task. It will cone out as jumbled incoherent noises.
All mammals share this gene and it is thought to have diverged only 3 times over a 75 million year evolutionary period.
Critical Periods
The linguistics theory that children must be exposed to language during a certain period of time- the first years of life and before puberty -in order to acquire and possess language (nurture not nature). Genie proves the Critical Period Hypothesis.
Interactionist Theory
The linguistic theory that language is possessed through the interaction of many biological and social influences.
Belief that vocabulary spurt at 18 months isn’t a coincidence- it is the same time where children begin to reason, have complex thoughts and as a result of this, learn many new words.
Complexity
Supports the Interactionist Theory saying that instead of grammar being innately dispositioned within us, it is bound to happen as a natural progression as communication evolves into something so complex. Just as bees don’t intend to make a hexagon shaped honey comb…it just is the most efficient shape when circles and tightly squeezed together.
Grammar is a property emerging from the complexity of a growing vocabulary.
Social Process
Supports the Interactionist Theory saying that he environment you are in forces language to be acquired in order to socialize and be part of the community. Explains why children so easily learn different languages of native tongue instead of one universal programmed language humans created.
The Clever Hans effect
Thinking that animals are using language when really they are reacting from visual clues so subtle that the trainer may not realize he is giving them off.
The Clever Hans effect
Thinking that animals are using language when really they are reacting from visual clues so subtle that the trainer may not realize he is giving them off.
Birdsong -subsong
Unstructured, low, rambling vocalizations made by baby birds (much like human babbling).
Wernicke’s Area
Part of the brain in the left hemisphere that is responsible for the understanding of words and associated with the meaning of words.
Wernicke’s Aphasia
A language disorder in which Wernicke’d area is not functioning normally. The affected person speaks with no accent, correct syntax, intonation, demeanour but has trouble understanding what other people are saying and can not understand their own speech.
Sounds fluent like a mad-lib missing words.
Broca’s Area
Part of the frontal lobe in the brain where speech articulation is controlled and produces sounds that compose words.
Broca’s Aphasia
A language disorder affecting Broca’s area. The affected person speaks with long pauses, stutters and simple telegraphic phrases. Capable of understanding, thinking and carrying out a task but can not describe it.
Stages of speech acquisition in children
1-2 months cooing 4-10 months babbling 8-16 months single words 24 months double words 24+ months complete meaningful phrases
Cerebellum
Responsible for organizing and coordinating speech
Basil ganglia
Responsible for articulating of speech and using grammatically correct phrases
Hippocampus
Responsible for encoding semantics.
