Week 6: Language and Communication

Question 1

Language

Answer 1

a communication system where words and systematic rules for organising those words are used to transmit information from one individual to another.

Question 2

Lexicon

Answer 2

referred to as a language’s vocabulary, encompasses the words used within that language.

Question 3

Grammar

Answer 3

consists of a set of rules governing how words from the lexicon are combined to convey meaning.

Question 4

Syntax

Answer 4

A subset of grammar, is the set of rules and processes that govern sentence structure in a language.

Question 5

How Lexicon are formed?

Answer 5

The lexicon is formed by combining various phonemes, which are the smallest unit of sound in a language.

Phonemes combine to form morphemes, the smallest meaningful units of language.

Question 6

Semantics

Answer 6

The process by which meaning is derived from morphemes and words.

Question 7

Types of Non-Verbal Communication

Answer 7

1. Haptics – touch
2. Kinesics – bodily movement (Gestures, Facial Expressions, Posture & Eye Contact)
3. Vocalics – vocal qualities
4. Proxemics – space and distance
5. Personal presentation and environment

Question 8

Theories of Language Acquisition

Answer 8

B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language acquisition occurs through operant conditioning – specifically reinforcement.

In contrast, Noam Chomsky (1965) suggests that language acquisition is influenced more by genetics.

Question 9

Stages of Language Development

Answer 9

1. Pre-Linguistic Stage
2. Holophrastic Stage (One-Word Stage)
3. Two-Word Stage
4. Telegraphic Stage
5. Multi-Word Stage

Question 10

The two models used to explain the neural basis of language

Answer 10

The Classical Model (Wernicke-Lichtheim Model)

The Dual Stream Mode

Question 11

The Classical Model (Wernicke-Lichtheim Model)

Answer 11

Identifies two key regions: Broca’s area, responsible for speech production, and Wernicke’s area, associated with language comprehension.

The classical model is also limited to the lexical level and does not inform how we understand and produce speech.

Question 12

The Dual Stream Mode

Answer 12

The dual stream model consists of two major pathways:
1. The dorsal stream, responsible for phonological processing
2. the ventral stream, dedicated to semantic processing

The dual stream model of speech processing suggests that initial stages of speech processing occur bilaterally in two auditory regions of the brain: the dorsal superior temporal gyrus (STG) and the superior temporal sulcus (STS). After that, it splits into two streams: one in the temporal lobe that helps understand speech and another in the dorsal stream, mostly on the left side of the brain, which helps connect what we hear with how we move our mouth and tongue to talk.

Question 13

The concept of linguistic determinism and linguistic relativity

Answer 13

Linguistic determinism suggests that language determines our thought processes.

Linguistic relativity suggests that language influences our thought process.