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Questions and Answers
Which group is more adept at recognizing sounds in languages not spoken around them?
Which group is more adept at recognizing sounds in languages not spoken around them?
What happens to infants' ability to differentiate among speech sounds as they grow older?
What happens to infants' ability to differentiate among speech sounds as they grow older?
How long does the process of language acquisition typically take for children?
How long does the process of language acquisition typically take for children?
What is crucial about the stages of language acquisition observed in children around the world?
What is crucial about the stages of language acquisition observed in children around the world?
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What do children lack at the start of their language acquisition process?
What do children lack at the start of their language acquisition process?
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What aspect of language does morphology primarily deal with?
What aspect of language does morphology primarily deal with?
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Which component of language provides rules for understanding the meaning of sentences?
Which component of language provides rules for understanding the meaning of sentences?
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What is linguistics competence primarily characterized by?
What is linguistics competence primarily characterized by?
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In the context of syntax, which sentence is grammatically correct?
In the context of syntax, which sentence is grammatically correct?
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Which of the following best defines phonology?
Which of the following best defines phonology?
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What role does pragmatics play in language use?
What role does pragmatics play in language use?
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Which of the following demonstrates linguistic competence?
Which of the following demonstrates linguistic competence?
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Which component of language identifies rules that allow for sentence construction?
Which component of language identifies rules that allow for sentence construction?
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What is the relationship between morphemes and novel words?
What is the relationship between morphemes and novel words?
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Which of the following examples demonstrates onomatopoeia?
Which of the following examples demonstrates onomatopoeia?
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How does the principle of arbitrariness apply to language?
How does the principle of arbitrariness apply to language?
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What does the term 'phoneme' refer to?
What does the term 'phoneme' refer to?
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Which of the following statements best illustrates the concept of linguistic competence?
Which of the following statements best illustrates the concept of linguistic competence?
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What is the significance of variability in language usage?
What is the significance of variability in language usage?
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Which example best represents the concept of grammatical competence?
Which example best represents the concept of grammatical competence?
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How do children acquire linguistic knowledge?
How do children acquire linguistic knowledge?
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What characterizes the first stage of children's linguistic competence?
What characterizes the first stage of children's linguistic competence?
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During which stage do children typically produce single-word utterances?
During which stage do children typically produce single-word utterances?
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At what approximate age do children start to form two-word utterances?
At what approximate age do children start to form two-word utterances?
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What feature is common in the babbling stage of language acquisition?
What feature is common in the babbling stage of language acquisition?
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Which of the following utterances is most likely produced during the two-word stage?
Which of the following utterances is most likely produced during the two-word stage?
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What aspect of speech is primarily developed during the cooing stage?
What aspect of speech is primarily developed during the cooing stage?
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What is a notable characteristic of the utterances during the earlier stages of language acquisition?
What is a notable characteristic of the utterances during the earlier stages of language acquisition?
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What typically happens to the range of sounds in the babbling stage?
What typically happens to the range of sounds in the babbling stage?
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What characterizes the critical period for language acquisition?
What characterizes the critical period for language acquisition?
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What is the reason for the decline in efficiency to learn languages at a later age?
What is the reason for the decline in efficiency to learn languages at a later age?
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What happens to language learning after the critical period has passed?
What happens to language learning after the critical period has passed?
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How does language deprivation typically occur?
How does language deprivation typically occur?
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Which example illustrates a critical period in birds?
Which example illustrates a critical period in birds?
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What is one result of early exposure to language?
What is one result of early exposure to language?
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Which type of aphasia is characterized by nonfluency?
Which type of aphasia is characterized by nonfluency?
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Which stage of language acquisition is characterized by the production of basic sounds?
Which stage of language acquisition is characterized by the production of basic sounds?
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What is first language attrition?
What is first language attrition?
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What can brain imaging research reveal about language acquisition?
What can brain imaging research reveal about language acquisition?
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At what age is it typical for a child to combine vocabulary from two languages?
At what age is it typical for a child to combine vocabulary from two languages?
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How is the extent of language deficits in aphasic patients determined?
How is the extent of language deficits in aphasic patients determined?
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What factor is crucial for language learning in the critical period?
What factor is crucial for language learning in the critical period?
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What did Newport's study reveal about learning a second language?
What did Newport's study reveal about learning a second language?
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What is a significant factor contributing to language loss in adults?
What is a significant factor contributing to language loss in adults?
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Which linguistic concept relates to the influence of language on consciousness?
Which linguistic concept relates to the influence of language on consciousness?
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Study Notes
Unit 4: Linguistics
- Linguistics is the scientific study of language.
- Language is a complex cognitive system.
- Studying human language provides insights into the human mind.
- Different disciplines contribute to the study of language:
- Education
- Artificial intelligence
- Anthropology
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Philosophy
The Psychological Approach (Cognitive Psychology)
- Focuses on internal mental operations.
- Mental functioning is viewed as representation and computation.
- Cognitive psychologists study intelligence, learning, attention, pattern recognition, memory, problem-solving, and other aspects of human cognition.
The Neuroscience Approach (Cognitive Neuroscience)
- Aims to explain cognitive processes through underlying brain mechanisms.
- It describes the biological "hardware" and mental "software".
- Neuroscientists explore brain structures and functions in relation to observed behaviors, including language use, problem-solving, and memory.
The Linguistic Approach
- Explores language domain, acquisition, and brain regions underlying language use.
- Linguists hypothesize about the human capacity for language and its implications for understanding the human brain.
The Connection
- Language is a window into the workings of the human mind.
- Linguistic elements (form, words, grammatical patterns) are also units of cognition.
Key to Understanding Human Essence
- Studying human language provides insights into the nature of the human mind.
- Noam Chomsky highlighted that language's unique qualities distinguish humanity.
What is Language?
- Language is more than just communication.
- It's the primary way humans interact, representing shared meaning.
- It involves steps including communication, conversation, collaboration, and co-creation.
Language - Means of Communication - Function; Systematic Code – Form
- Essential language components include sender/receiver, message, and code (systematic rules)
- The code supports communication between sender & receiver, transmitting information and carrying specific meanings.
Linguistics
- The scientific study of language methodology.
- It involves collecting facts, verifying them empirically, analyzing, classifying, formulating hypotheses (accept, reject, modify).
- It's the scientific study of human natural language.
Uniqueness of Human Language
- Linguistic knowledge, acquired subconsciously, encompasses sound-meaning relations, sound systems, words, and sentence structures.
- Speakers have the capacity to produce and understand an unlimited range of sentences.
Universal Properties of Language
- Modularity: Language is a modular system with separate subsystems.
- Constituency & Recursion: Language is structured into constituents, and sentences can contain other sentences.
- Discreteness: The continuous stream of sounds is broken down into discrete units.
- Productivity: It's possible to combine minimal units of meaning to create novel words.
- Arbitrariness: No inherent connection between sound and meaning in most words.
- Reliance on Context: Language is dependent on the context in which it is used.
Recursion
- Recursion: Sentences can contain other sentences within them (hierarchical structure).
Discreteness
- Continuous sounds are broken down into discrete, identifiable units like phonemes.
Productivity
- Words are composed of smaller meaningful units (morphemes).
Arbitrariness
- Arbitrary relations between words and their meanings.
- Exceptions exist, for instance, onomatopoeia
Reliance on Context
- Understanding words is dependent on the surrounding context, situation, and the speaker/listener.
Variability
- Language varies by speaker, situation, and culture.
Insights
- Our ability to speak, understand, and evaluate grammaticality reveals our implicit understanding of language rules.
- This implicit knowledge reflects a complex cognitive system.
Grammar
- Grammar describes the principles that govern language structure and use, regardless of whether they are explicit or implicit.
- Children absorb complex grammar rules without formal instruction.
Linguistic Competence
- Linguistic competence is the unconscious knowledge of grammar and language rules.
- This includes phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
Phonology
- Deals with the rules governing the sound system.
Morphology
- Addresses the rules governing word structure.
Syntax
- Explores the rules for sentence structure.
Semantics
- Focuses on sentence meaning.
Rules of Language – Grammar
- Sets of rules enable the creation of sounds, words, and sentences, and also the ability to recognize when rules are violated.
Linguistic Competence (continued)
- Includes the ability to make grammatical judgements, process ambiguity, and paraphrase without conscious awareness.
Experimental Studies – Infants
- Young infants can differentiate speech sounds of various languages.
Experimental Studies – 1-2 month old infants
- The ability to differentiate speech sounds from different languages.
- This ability decreases as they age and are exposed to their native language.
Experimental Studies – 6-month-old infants
- Ability to distinguish sounds in their native language, recognize the boundaries of linguistic categories, and the sounds that constitute their native tongue.
Experimental Studies – Recognizing Sounds
- Infants recognize and discriminate sounds in languages other than native language more effectively than older children and adults.
Developmental Psycholinguistics: Language Acquisition
- Key: How do infants acquire their first language(s)?
- Infants learn underlying language rules before producing utterances.
- Ability to differentiate among speech sounds fades as they develop.
- This ability develops rapidly and often surpasses adults' abilities.
Stages in Language Acquisition
- Language acquisition is a process with identifiable stages across cultures.
- Each stage has a specific set of characteristics and skills.
Stages in Language Acquisition (From Birth)
- Infants start from the 'universal listener' stage, then progress through cooing, babbling, one-word utterances, two-word utterances, and more advanced stages.
Cooing Stage
- Early in the first year of life, involving the production of recognizable sounds.
- Often accompanied by feelings and needs
Babbling Stage
- Infants produce repetitive sounds that start to resemble words.
Holophrastic Stage
- Single-word utterances representing complete thoughts/meanings.
- Comprehension is greater than production.
Two-Word Stage
- Short phrases that convey meaning.
Telegraphic Stage
- Similar to two-word utterances.
Stages of first-language acquisition
- All human babies acquire at least one language system.
- Babies progress through stages when learning their native language.
- The stages may be similar across cultures.
Stages in First Language Acquisition
- Different stages characterized by distinct milestones and competencies in the progression of language mastery.
- Stages include Cooing, Babbling, One-word utterances, Two-word utterances, and Multi-word utterances.
Bilingualism
- Proficiency in two or more languages.
- Language-mixing is a common feature in the early stages.
- Early childhood bilingual speakers often have proficiency in combining words from both languages.
Second-language acquisition
- It follows the acquisition of the first language, with varying levels of difficulty and speed.
- Success often depends on age, aptitude, and other influences.
- Learning process can be complex due to interference and maturation effects.
Second Language Acquisition
- Success can depend on a variety of relevant factors.
- Differences compared to First Language learning, such as challenges and difficulties with pronunciation.
- Different rules involved in each language, potentially causing difficulties.
- Maturation plays a significant role in how adults and children acquire languages.
Second-language acquisition
- Experiments show that infants are often better-equipped for acquiring new languages than older children or adults.
Hypothesis
- Maturational constraints significantly impact language acquisition.
- Nonlinguistic reasons, including differences in perception and memory, also affect the process.
Summary - First Language : Summary - Bilingualism : Summary - 2nd language
- 1st language learning begins early in life and follows common stages in most children.
- Bilingualism often involves language interference and vocab changes but with bilingual speakers being skilled word combiners.
- Second language acquisition may be affected by factors like age, and may be different from first-language acquisition.
Language Deprivation
- Lack of normal language exposure during development can lead to limitations in vocabulary, ability to form functional sentences, and overall linguistic development.
Language Loss (Attrition)
- Loss or deterioration of language, which can occur for both native and second languages.
Linguistics & Neuroscience
- Investigation of the brain regions and underlying processes related to language usage
Aphasia Revisited
- Examination of how brain damage impacts language comprehension and production.
- Different aphasia types (e.g., Broca's and Wernicke's) and their linguistic manifestations.
Consciousness
- Relationship between language and consciousness, analyzing unconscious rules (linguistic grammar), innate knowledge, and concepts related to philosophy.
Language & Thought Revisited
- Analyzing how innate knowledge, linguistic structures, and learning processes impact one's understanding and experience of the world.
- Investigating how the absence or presence of specific language constructions impacts thought processes.
Linguistics & Artificial Intelligence
- Human language complexity and how it impacts the ability to create intelligent machines that understand human language.
- Analyzing the methods of developing computer programs that handle human language, including machine translation and natural language processing.
Preliminary Insights
- Development of computer technology to perform human tasks and its implications for further progress in artificial-intelligence development
Machine Translation
- Historical overview of machine translation methods to solve communication challenges in between languages.
- Challenges with natural language, considering words, phrases, meanings, and syntax.
Natural Language Processing
- Computer handling natural language.
- Techniques for parsing text/speech, classifying it, and making it useable by computers.
Other Language-Related Tasks
- Computer applications in areas like concordance, speech recognition, synthesis, and related language processing.
Group Project: Week 13 & 14
- Specific topics for research activities.
End of Unit 4
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Description
Test your knowledge on language acquisition and the fundamental components of linguistics. Explore topics such as phonology, morphology, syntax, and the stages of language development in children. This quiz delves into how children learn to differentiate sounds and construct sentences effectively.
