Psych 1X03 Language

what are the three qualities of a true language?

regular, arbitrary, productive

regular

governed by rules and grammar

arbitrary

specific sounds of the words don't need to relate to the word it refers to

productive

unlimited ways to combine words

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

language influences our thoughts and perceptions of the world

the Piraha's native language only has words for 1, 2, and many. members of the tribe struggle to arrange objects past two. what hypothesis is this in support of?

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

morpheme

smallest unit of sound that carries information

phoneme

smallest unit of sound

syntax

rules on how words in a sentence are put together (grammar)

semantics

meanings of words in a sentence

language explosion

between 2-6 years, vocabulary increases very quickly

what do early speech segmentation skills positively correlate with?

large expressive language vocabulary

phoneme discrimination

ability to discriminate between different speech sounds, better in infants than adults

how do researchers indirectly measure phoneme sensitivity?

the "head-turn" technique

by what year have infants lost most of their phoneme sensitivity?

1

what is social learning theory?

children learn language using a combination of imitation and instrumental conditioning

what is an example of a case study that supports social learning theory?

Genie

overextension

children categorize objects too broadly

overregulation

form of overextension where grammar rules are applied too broadly

underextension

children categorizing objects too specifically

innate mechanism theory

theory that humans are born with an innate mechanism that allows them to learn language

language acquisition device

innate mechanism of language acquisition

who proposed the language acquisition device?

Noah Chomsky

what evidence can support innate mechanism theory?

children born deaf who never learned sign language will spontaneously develop a sign language without ever being taught how

onomatopoeia

exception to language being arbitrary - the sounds of the word are meant to mimic their meaning

about how many phonemes are used in English?

40

transparent orthographies

some languages have consistent letter to sound correspondence such that a given letter will always make the same sound

universal phoneme sensitivity

ability to discriminate between virtually all phonemes of all languages

perceptual narrowing

the process in which one loses the ability to distinguish between phonemes not present in their native language

infant-directed speech

people speak to infants in higher pitches and exaggerate change in pitch, helps infants discriminate vowel sounds and learn the sounds of their native language

where is Broca's area?

small area in the left frontal lobe

what will damage to Broca's area cause?

difficulty in production of fluent speech, but individuals will understand what is being said to them

where is Wernicke's area?

located in left temporal lobe

what will damage to Wernicke's area cause?

speech that makes no sense, individuals also have difficulty understanding written and spoken language

what is Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS)?

A condition where patients speak their native language with a foreign accent after an injury.

what part of the brain is affected in Foreign Accent Syndrome?

Areas of the left hemisphere involved in motor control of speech.

patients with FAS don't actually develop a foreign accent. what do researchers observe in their speech?

their speech has been modified in its basic timing and rhythmic properties, leading it to be perceived as a foreign accent. their accents do not meet all the patters of the accent.

what is the still-face procedure?

an adult looks at a 2-3 month old infant with a neutral face

what effect does looking at an infant with a neutral face have?

it causes the infant distress

what does the still-face procedure demonstrate about infants?

infants have an understanding of how face-to-face social interaction should proceed from a young age

cooing

infants making sounds that combine 'oo' and 'aa' phonemes

pragmatics

skills that allow children to communicate appropriately and effectively in a social situation i.e. taking turns during a conversation

holophrastic phase

child uses a single word to indicate the meaning of an entire sentence

naming explosion

rapid expansion of vocabulary between 18-24 months

fast mapping

children learn the meaning of words after only encountering it once or twice

how does birth order affect development in vocabulary size?

first-born children tend to develop larger vocabularies earlier than second-born children

how does gender affect development in the age children use certain types of words?

girls start using words about social relations and objects that need to be cared for earlier while boys start using words for loud moving objects earlier

expressive vocabulary

words children can actually speak

receptive vocabulary

words children cannot speak but do understand

telegraphic speech

between 18 and 24 months infants use the shortest, most crucial information in sentences to get their point across

What part of the brain is activated by hearing/saying swear words?

Right hemisphere

What specific part of the brain is associated with PRODUCING swear words?

Basal Ganglia

What specific part of the brain is associated with HEARING swear words?

Amygdala

What are the 6 types of swear words?

Supernatural, Body effluvia, death/sickness, sexuality, family/heritage, hate speech

Supernatural examples

"damn, hell"

Body effluvia and organs swearing examples

"shit, piss"

Disease, death, and sickness swearing examples

"I hope you get covid"

Sexuality swearing examples

"dick, pussy"

Family/heritage swearing examples

"your mom"

Hate speech swearing examples

I will NOT be putting examples

Why do we swear?

emphasis

Euphemism

a "milder" swap for a word that is otherwise seen as blunt and harsh

Dysphemism

A derogatory or unpleasant term used instead of a pleasant or neutral one

Rage-circuit theory

Making loud noises helps emotionally regulate mammals, even causing less pain for a shorter period of time (humans do this in the form of swearing)

Are swear words fundamentally different than regular words?

Yes

What happens at 8 weeks?

Cooing sounds

What happens at 16 weeks?

Turns their head at voices

What happens at 6 months?

Babbling begins, consonants added

What happens at 8 months?

Complex, non-random babbling

What happens at 2 years old?

Uses 50-250 words, uses 2 word phrases

What happens at 2.5 years?

Vocab >850 words