WEEK 7 COMPLETED SET Flashcards
what is language
a system of symbols, soundsm signs, meanings and the rules for combining them
what are phonems
the smallest unit of sound in a language- different sounds count in different languages eg. th, a t, s, ch
what are morphems
the smallest unit of meaning in a language- many are whole words but others are parts ge pre… s.. ing.. ed..
what is syntax
gramatical rules for ordering and modifying words- allows us to alter surface structure but maintain deep structure
what are semantics
the literal meaning of morphems, words and sentances- meaning is very specific, english has very few true synonyms but many homonyms
what are pragmatics
extra linguistic information- the way language is used and understood, literal meaning is not always the intended one- beyond actual words- can depend on relationships
what is non-verbal communication
body language, facial expression, vocalisations gasps and sighs
differ across cultures, or same
what is babbeling?
intentional but meaningless vocalisation- where we learn to produce phonemes, start with all phonemes but end up better at distinguishing phonems of native language
the process of learning words
6mths= own name 9-12mnths=understand other words 12 mnths= first words 12-18mnths=20-100words 24mnths= hundreds 48mnths=thousands of words
early linguistic errors in phonemes
children pronounce words imperfectly due to production contraints (not lack of knowlegde)
early linguistic errors in semantics
hard to learn exactly what words mean- use over extention/generalisation or under
what are holophrases
developed later in childhood, single word phrases- #of words gradually increases, as does word order
development of extra linguistic communication is…
gradual, 24mnths=point, look2 understand emotional tone, take years 2 understand sarcasm and irony
bilinguals show..
same progress as monolingual aquisition, slight delay in syntax not vocab tho, superior metalinguisitic awareness
sign language is..
a complete language system, generative with syntatic structure, some signs are iconic but many are arbitary, uses language and spatial areas of the brain
Imitation/learning theory of language suggests…
language is learned through immatiation and classical and operant conditioning- eg parents model shape and reinforce childrens responses.
critisism of Immitation/learning theory of language
children generate new word/new word combos and parents reinforce meaning but not grammar
Nativist/innatist theory of language suggests…
chomsy and pinker- language acquisition device is built in= neural structures for acquiring language, explains rapid aquisition, similarity of learning amount children and language, and specialised brain areas
critisisms of Nativist/innatist theory of language
why is grammar learned so slowly, descriptive theory, doesnt explain how it occurs or generate a testable hypothesis
social pragmatic theory of language suggests…
language learnt from enviroment but emphasises the social context of language eg. infant directed speech, gramatical feedback, joint attention, social interaction
critisisms of social pragmatic theory of language
social cues may be more difficult to use than theory suggests, or other non social cues r used
general cognitive processing theory of language suggests..
learning language is like anythingelse, ability to perceive, learn and recognise patterns is enough to learn language
criticisms of general cognitive processing theory of language
children are better than adults at learning (critical development period), distinct cognitive processes occur during language processing, has its own side must be special
examples of animal communication include..
bees waggle dance to find food, monkeys share arbitary alarm calls for preditors, chimps can sign, bonobos can observationally learn but bad syntax
characteristics of written language
not in every culture, must be taught, long time to acquire/build, can be logograph, syballic, alphabetic (arbitary)
learning to read children must understand..
written words hold meaning, has direction and is divided into words, written symbols are graphems and each holds its own phenom
Visual word recognition occurs in..
visual word form area, left occipital temporal regions are involved in written word processing, similar spot to face recgonition
mental lexicon occurs in..
bottom of brain, temporal lobe= persons animals and tools, sopjen and written language - same as what pathway
speech comprehension occurs in..
wernickes area- top of temporal lobe, damage causes receptive aphasia (can produce words but lack meaning), poor comprehension, speech has no meaning
speech production occurs in..
brocas area, damage leads to expressive aphasis, normal comprehension, speech is meaningful but awkward
evidence for wernicke-geschwind model shows
- brocas and wernikes areas play a key role in language 2. anterior damage associated with expressive deficits and posterior receptive deficits
but aphasis usually diffuse damage and other areas can also cause it- pure aphasis is rare
