LIN 3716 Exam 1 Study Guide

**Differences Between Communication, Speech, and Language** - **Communication**: - *Definition*: The process of conveying information, ideas, and emotions through verbal, non-verbal, and written forms. It includes **listening**, **speaking**, **reading**, and **writ...

**Differences Between Communication, Speech, and Language** - **Communication**: - *Definition*: The process of conveying information, ideas, and emotions through verbal, non-verbal, and written forms. It includes **listening**, **speaking**, **reading**, and **writing**. - *Underlying Processes*: - **Encoding**: Creating a message. - **Transmission**: Sending the message. - **Decoding**: Interpreting the message. - **Feedback**: Receiving a response or reaction​. - *Key Points*: - Communication can be **linguistic** (involving language), **non-linguistic** (gestures, body language), or **paralinguistic** (prosody, tone of voice)​​. - **Speech**: - *Definition*: A physical process of producing sounds using the vocal apparatus to convey spoken words. - *Not synonymous with language*: While speech uses sounds and words, **language** is a system of symbols (spoken, written, or signed). - *Components of Speech*: - **Articulation**: How speech sounds are made. - **Voice**: The use of the vocal cords for sound production. - **Fluency**: The smoothness of speech without disruptions like stuttering​. - **Language**: - *Definition*: A system of symbols (spoken, written, or gestural) that are governed by rules (grammar) for communication. - *Characteristics*: - **Arbitrary**: There's no inherent connection between a word and its meaning. - **Symbolic**: Words represent ideas and objects. - **Rule-governed**: There are syntax, morphology, and phonological rules. - **Generative**: New sentences can be created through the combination of symbols (e.g., \"I have a dog\" vs. \"My dog is brown\"). - *Key Domains*: - **Form**: Phonology, morphology, and syntax. - **Content**: Semantics. - **Use**: Pragmatics​​. **The Processes of Communication and Language** - **Communication Process**: - *Listening*: The ability to actively receive and process verbal and non-verbal cues. - *Speaking*: Producing verbal messages by manipulating vocal cords and articulators. - *Reading & Writing*: Transmitting information through written symbols. - *Attention*: Focusing cognitive resources on processing communication signals​. - *Memory*: The ability to recall and retain communication content for future use. - *Executive Function*: The cognitive processes that control attention, memory, and language use during communication​. - **Language Process**: - *Components*: - **Phonology**: The sound system of language (e.g., phonemes like /b/, /d/, /p/). - **Morphology**: Word formation and structure (free vs. bound morphemes). - **Syntax**: Sentence structure rules (e.g., subject-verb-object structure). - **Semantics**: Meaning of words and sentences (e.g., homophones like "bare" and "bear"). - **Pragmatics**: Social use of language, context, and conversational norms (e.g., turn-taking in conversations)​. **The Five Domains of Language** - **Phonology**: - The study of speech sounds in language. - **Example**: The sounds /p/ and /b/ are distinct phonemes that differ in voicing. - **Phonemes**: The smallest units of sound that can change meaning (e.g., /k/ in \"cat\" vs. /b/ in \"bat\"). - **Morphology**: - The structure of words and how they are formed. - **Free Morphemes**: Words that can stand alone (e.g., \"dog\"). - **Bound Morphemes**: Morphemes that attach to free morphemes to change meaning (e.g., \"un-\" in \"undo\"). - **Inflectional Morphemes**: Change a word\'s grammatical form (e.g., \"cats\" adds plural). - **Derivational Morphemes**: Change a word's meaning or part of speech (e.g., \"happiness\" from \"happy\")​. - **Syntax**: - Rules for how words combine to form sentences. - **Example**: \"The cat chased the mouse\" (subject-verb-object order). - **Syntactic Structures**: Can include simple or complex sentences, and even questions or commands (\"Did the cat chase the mouse?\"). - **Semantics**: - The meaning of words and sentences. - *Lexical Semantics*: The meaning of individual words (e.g., \"dog\" refers to a type of animal). - *Sentential Semantics*: The meaning of sentence structures (e.g., \"The dog bit the man\" vs. \"The man bit the dog\"). - **Pragmatics**: - The social rules and conventions for using language. - **Example**: The phrase \"Could you open the window?\" is a polite request, whereas \"Open the window!\" is a command. Both convey the same need but differ in how they approach social interactions. **Categorizing Aspects of Language into Domains** - **Word \"dogs\"**: - **Phonology**: /dɔɡz/ (distinct sounds /d/, /ɔ/, /ɡ/, /z/). - **Morphology**: \"dog\" (free morpheme) + \"s\" (plural bound morpheme). - **Semantics**: Refers to multiple animals of the canine species. - **Syntax**: Subject of a sentence (\"The dogs bark loudly\"). - **Pragmatics**: Context changes the meaning (\"dogs\" might refer to a pet, a group of animals, or even a metaphorical meaning in different conversations). **Generative/Nativist vs. Interactionalist Language Development Theories** - **Generative/Nativist (Chomsky)**: - **Key Idea**: Language is innate, and children have an inborn ability to acquire language through the \"Language Acquisition Device\" (LAD). - **Universal Grammar**: The theory that all languages share a common underlying structure. - **Example**: A child exposed to a language will naturally acquire its syntax, regardless of the specific language​. - **Interactionalist Theory**: - **Key Idea**: Language development arises from the interaction between biological factors and environmental influences, especially social interactions. - **Example**: A child learns language through social interactions with caregivers, who model language and provide feedback​. **Theories of Learning** - **Behaviorism (Skinner)**: - **Key Idea**: Language is learned through imitation, reinforcement, and repetition. - **Example**: A child says \"mama,\" and the caregiver rewards the child, reinforcing the behavior​. - **Cognitive Theory (Piaget)**: - **Key Idea**: Language develops as children engage with the world, building mental structures and schemes. - **Example**: A child learns object permanence (an object still exists even when not seen), which allows for more advanced language use​. - **Social Constructivism**: - **Key Idea**: Social interactions and guidance from more knowledgeable individuals help children master concepts and language that they cannot learn alone. - **Example**: A child learning to use a spoon by observing and receiving feedback from an adult​. **Evidence-Based Practices (EBP)** - **Key Idea**: Language interventions should be informed by high-quality research, clinical expertise, and family values/preferences. - **Example**: Using research on language acquisition to create personalized therapy plans for children with language delays​. **Cross-Language Studies** - **Purpose**: Identify universal aspects of language development and determine if certain language aspects are a result of universal cognitive abilities or specific linguistic knowledge. - **Example**: Comparing the language development of children in different linguistic cultures to identify universal milestones and variations​.