Language - Lecture 9, Chapter 8 PDF

**Language - Lecture 9, Chapter 8** +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **Key Concepts and Terms** | | +===================================+===================================+ | Language | Tel...

**Language - Lecture 9, Chapter 8** +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **Key Concepts and Terms** | | +===================================+===================================+ | Language | Telegraphic speech | | | | | Phonemes | Metalinguistic awareness | | | | | Morphemes | Bilingualism | | | | | Syntax | ---\> Slow down language | | | development? ---\> Effects on | | Optimal periods | cognitive processes | | | | | Babbling | Can animals learn language? (yes, | | | no, partly) | | Productive vs. receptive | | | vocabulary | Behaviourist, nativist, and | | | interactionist theories | | Vocabulary spurt and fast-mapping | | | | Linguistic relativity | | Overextension and Under-extension | | | | | | Overregularization | | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ Language = consists of symbols that convey meaning, plus rules for combining those symbols, that can be used to generate an infinite variety of messages (set of spoken, written or signed words and the way we combine them to communicate meaning (the ability to communicate through a meaningful sequence of symbols) 1\. [Symbolic] - people use spoken sounds and written words to represent objects, actions, events and ideas 2. [Semantic] - or meaningful 3. [Generative] - a limited number of symbols can be combined in an infinite variety of ways to generate an endless array of novel messages 4. [Structural] - rules govern the arrangement of words into phrases and sentences; some arrangements are acceptable and some are not Phonemes = the smallest speech units in a language that can be distinguished perceptually (english language - 40 phonemes) ex. Ch and Th - short, distinctive sound units (40 - a, t, ch, s, f) Morphemes = are the smallest units of meaning in a language (50,000 English morphemes - prefixes and suffixes) ex. Unfriendly - root word - friend, the prefix - un, the suffix - ly - ~smallest\ units\ that\ carry\ meaning\ (prefix,\ suffix)~ Syntax = is the system of rules that specify how words can be arranged into sentences (simple rule of syntax is that a sentence must have both a subject and a verb) \- "The sound annoyed me" is a sentence, "the sound" is not a sentence because it lacks a verb, an article (the) comes before the word it modifies (ex. the swimmer) Optimal periods = Werker argues there are optimal periods for the different subsystems involved in language acquisition but that they are not as rigidly absolute as is sometimes thought Babbling = beginning at about 4 months, the stage of speech development in which the infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household language - ~producing\ a\ wide\ variety\ of\ sounds\ that\ corresponds\ to\ phonemes\ and\ eventually,\ many~ repetitive consonant-vowel combinations (lalala) Productive vs. receptive vocabulary ---\> productive vocabulary = words they can produce to express themselves (developing ability to produce words) receptive vocabulary = words they can comprehend that are spoken by others (the ability to understand what's being said both to and about us) Vocabulary spurt and fast-mapping ---\> Vocabulary spurt = begins around 18-24 months - vocabulary begins to grow at a fast pace, fast mapping facilitates rapid acquisition of new words fast-mapping = process by which children map a word onto an underlying concept after only one exposure (children often add words like tank, board, tape to their vocabularies after their first encounter with objects that illustrate these concepts) Overextension and Under-extension ---\> Overextension = child incorrectly uses a word to describe a wider set of objects or actions than it is meant to (ex. child might use the word ball for anything round - orange, apple, even the moon) Under-extension = child incorrectly uses a word to describe a narrower set of objects or actions that it is meant to (ex. use to word doll to refer to only a single favourite doll) Overregularization = occur when grammatical rules are incorrectly generalized to irregular cases where they do not apply (ex. "the girl goed home" or "i hitted the ball") Telegraphic speech = consists mainly of content words; articles, prepositions, and other less critical words are omitted (ex. "give doll" rather than "please give me the doll") Metalinguistic awareness = ability to reflect on the use of language (children play with languages, make jokes and puns, use of sophisticated metaphors) \- between ages 6 and 8 most children begin to appreciate irony and sarcasm Bilingualism = the acquisition of two languages that use different speech sounds, vocabulary and grammatical cues ---\> Slow down language development? Smaller vocabulary in each language, but when both vocabularies are put together, it is similar or slightly superior to monolingual children's vocabulary (research does not fully support it) ---\> Effects on cognitive processes? Bilingual is related to higher levels of controlled processing of tasks that require proper attention ---\> Even when speech, reading or listening to one language, still actively using both (juggling) Bilingual helps attenuate age-related losses in certain cognition (dementia), increase in grey matter Can animals learn language? (yes, no, partly) \- Can not learn human language, can develop ALS, Washoe learned up to 160 words Although they learned a language, they didn't gain language skills (Sentences were products of imitation and operant condition) \- ~Bonobo\ learned\ to\ communicate\ through\ touching\ geometric\ shapes\ on\ a\ computer\ monitor~ - ~He\ began\ to\ understand\ normal\ utterance\ between\ the\ researchers~ Behaviourist (environment) , nativist, and interactionist theories 1\) Behaviourist ---\> Skinner = language was a product of associative of associative principles and operant conditioning, Children learn the same way they learn everything else; through limitations, reinforcement and other established principles of conditioning ex. Baby says "mmm" and the mom gives him milk ---\> both the milk and the attention (rewarding) he will eventually say "milk" through learned associations and shaping 2) Nativist ---\> Chomsky = pointed out that there an infinite number of sentences in a language, it's therefore unreasonable to expect that children learn language by imitation (ex. Children over regularize producing incorrect verbs - goed, eated, thinked) \- humans are equipped with a **language acquisition device (LAD)** = an innate mechanism or process that facilitates the learning of language, learn the rules of language not verbal responses 3) Interactionist theories = These theories assert that biology and experience both make important contributions to the development of language a\) [Cognitive theories] = language development is simply an important aspect of more general cognitive development - depends on both maturation and experience b\) [Social communication theories] = functional value of interpersonal communication and the social context in which language evolves c\) [Emergentist theories] = neural circuits supporting language are not prewired but *emerge* gradually in response to language learning experiences Linguistic relativity = The hypothesis that one's language determines the nature of one's thought (different languages lead people to view the world differently) ex. English - has one word for snow vs. Inuit - has many words that distinguish among falling snow, wet snow etc