Chapter 2 Topic 1

Question 1

language

Answer 1

• consists of a system of symbols and rules
• bind these symbols and rules to organize words to transmit information to each other
• conventionalized form of communication

Question 2

psycholinguistics

Answer 2

• the scientific study of the psychological aspects of language

Question 3

do animals have language

Answer 3

• animals use olfaction, noises, body-language

not a permanently accepted fact by scientists that animals have language, but assume true for this class

Question 4

properties of language

Answer 4

• language is symbolic and structured
• grammar
• semantics
• generativity
• displacement

Question 5

language is symbolic and structured

Answer 5

• use of sounds, signs, gestures
• allows for forming and transferring mental representations
• ex. road signs, traffic colour = green = go
• word dog = symbolic (the word doesn’t look like a dog at all)

Question 6

grammar

Answer 6

• the set of rules for how symbols can be combined into communication (into something meaningful)
• Zplrovc – not english because not enough vowels (can’t just have a string of consonants)
  ex. “I go” vs. “go I”

Question 7

Semantics

Answer 7

• symbols/words = arbitrary but semantics give these symbols (words) meaning
• the meaning of words and sentences
• form/transfer mental representations that have meaning

Question 8

generativity

Answer 8

• combine symbols to generate infinite messages
• make over half-a-million words out of 26 english letters
• make infinite sentences out of words

ie.
the ability to produce sentences never before said, and to understand sentences never before heard

Question 9

displacement

Answer 9

• can communicate about things not physically present
• ex. using past tense, future tense
• talk about things, people, events that currently exist but may be somewhere else
• communicate about imaginary situations

Question 10

surface structure

Answer 10

• ways symbols are combined and order
• syntax

Question 11

syntax

Answer 11

: grammar (order of words)

Question 12

deep structure

Answer 12

• underlying meaning of combined symbols

Question 13

semantics

Answer 13

• semantics: rules for connecting the symbols

Question 14

can you have one single structure with 2 deep structures?

Answer 14

Yes, for ambiguous things
ex. the police must stop drinking after midnight

Question 15

the hierarchal structure of language

Answer 15

dialogue, sentence, phrase, word, morpheme, phoneme

Question 16

sentence

Answer 16

A group of words that expresses a complete thought/meaning

Question 17

phrases

Answer 17

a small group of words standing together as a conceptual unit, typically forming a component of a clause.

Question 18

words

Answer 18

a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing

Question 19

phonemes

Answer 19

• building blocks of language
• smallest units of sound recognized as separate
• ~44 phonemes in English language

Question 20

morphemes

Answer 20

• The smallest units of meaning in a language.
• combination of phonemes
• more than 100,000 morphemes

It is a word or part of a word that has meaning.
It cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts without violation of its meaning or without meaningless remainders.
It recurs in differing word environments with a relatively stable meaning.

ex. suffix (like -s to make things plural), prefix
- can also be words (ex. dog, log, fans (fan, s)

Question 21

pragmatics

Answer 21

the appropriate use of language in different contexts

a knowledge of the PRACTICAL aspects of using language

context matters

ex. do you have the time?
asking what time it is, not to physically have time

ex. I need help, do you have the time?
asking “can i have your time right now”

Question 22

context in pragmatics comes from

Answer 22

-clarity
-tone

Question 23

clarity

Answer 23

• depends on who you’re talking to
• you adjust your speed, vocab, complexity of what you’re saying

Question 24

tone

Answer 24

the way you talk to your sister vs co-worker, for example
- wrong tone = violation of pragmatics

Question 25

Language acquisition device (LAD)

Answer 25

- an innate mechanism or process that facilitates the learning of language (we are born with the capacity to learn) - universal grammar - all languages have a common deep structure

Question 26

what can infants of 1-3 months do in terms of language

Answer 26

- vocalize entire range of phonemes

Question 27

what can infants of 6-12 months do in terms of language

Answer 27

- Discriminate sounds specific to native language - universal language is pruned/cut down

Question 28

Social learning processes in acquiring language What do parents do

Answer 28

- child-directed speech: high pitched intonations + speak fast to maintain child's attention - name and questions + reading: builds social connection and makes child smarter

Question 29

Social learning processes in acquiring language Role of operant conditions

Answer 29

- positive reinforcement - Skinner - behaviouralism (behaviour caused by consequences) - Correction of language: by parents; parents usually correct content, not grammar - withholding reinforcement = extinction

Question 30

Developmental time period and sensitive periods

Answer 30

All children go through the same stages - Cooing (including heavy breathing) 0-4 months -- babies more likely to listen to language they heard in womb - Babbling (5-12 months) -- repeating syllables - single words (9-18 months) -- first words, make up words - telegraphic speech (18-30 months) -- not using and non-essential words; noun + verb only (ex. "want cookie") - After 2 years, speech development speeds up really quickly and the child eventually becomes fluent

Question 31

feral children

Answer 31

Learned language later in life