29 Questions
What is the primary focus of semanticists?
How words and sentences express meaning
What is the term for the study of language use at the level beyond the sentence?
Discourse
What is the first step involved in understanding what someone says?
Perceiving and recognizing words
Why is speech perception crucial in human communication?
It is necessary for effective communication in everyday life
What is the term for the study of the structure of language?
Syntax
What is involved in understanding what someone says?
Multiple processes including perceiving words, assigning meaning, and making sense of sentences
According to cognitive psychologists, what might slips of the tongue reveal about language production?
The lack of correspondence between thought and spoken language
What might disrupt our mental plan for speaking, leading to slips of the tongue?
Intrusions by other thoughts or environmental stimuli
What might slips of the tongue suggest about the language of thought?
It differs somewhat from the language of spoken expression
Why might we not be aware of our slips of the tongue?
Until they are pointed out to us
What is a common occurrence in preplanned and practiced speech?
Slips of the tongue occasionally occur
What is the relationship between the idea in our mind and its expression in speech?
The idea is often correct, but the expression is wrong
What is the maximum rate of phonemes per second that we can perceive in a language we are fluent in?
Fifty
Why do foreign languages often seem to be spoken quickly?
Because the sounds of the language are unfamiliar to the listener
What is the phonetic refinement theory an example of?
A theory of speech perception
Why might the author's Spanish sound 'American' to a native Spanish speaker?
Because the author tends to reinterpret Spanish sounds in terms of the American English phonetic system
What is the main difference between how we perceive speech sounds and non-speech sounds?
We perceive speech sounds more quickly
What is the 'ordinary' view of speech perception?
That speech perception is the same as perceiving other sounds
What is the term for the topic of the metaphor?
Tenor
What is the relationship between the tenor and the vehicle in a metaphor?
They share similarities but also have differences
What is the study of how people use language in social contexts?
Pragmatics
What is the term for the set of similarities between the tenor and the vehicle in a metaphor?
Ground
How do people usually adjust their language use in response to contextual cues?
Unselfconsciously and automatically
What is the term for the set of dissimilarities between the tenor and the vehicle in a metaphor?
Tension
Which principle states that meanings of words are determined by agreements among people?
Principle of conventionality
What distinguishes language from random sounds?
Meaningful patterns of sounds and letters
What does the principle of contrast imply when two words represent different things?
They are at least slightly different
What is the significance of the regular structure of language mentioned in the text?
Facilitates the formation of meaningful words
Why is it necessary for any meaningful utterance to be analyzed at multiple levels according to the text?
To provide deeper insight and analysis
Explore the principles underlying word meanings such as conventionality and contrast. Learn how meanings of words are determined by conventions that people agree upon. Discover how different words have distinct meanings based on the principle of contrast.
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