Language Disorders Across the Lifespan Exam 1

Communication definition

an exchange of ideas between senders and receivers that involves transmission  and response/feedback

Variables that affect communication:

1. Cultural identity

2. Setting

3. Participants

Sociolinguistics definition

the study of such influences on communication

language community

everyone belongs to one

Successful communication is influenced by:

• Age

• Socioeconomic status (SES)

• Geographic background

• Ethnicity

• Gender

• Ability

• Etc.

The percentage of White non-Hispanic students in the public schools is…

below 50%

Cultural competence

Understanding, appreciating, and responding appropriately to a full range of diversity dimensions

Cultural humility

Recognize that learning and self-reflection are lifelong, that power imbalances exist and must be addressed, and that institutions must be accountable

Even when people share the same language…

perfect communication is rare

T/F: there is not a single “correct” way to communicate

True

Communication happens within…

environment/context

Context includes:

Location (where you are)

People involved

Event taking place

Communication reflects culture and the situation

—> communication only makes sense within context

Examples:

• Someone asks, “Can you take the garbage out?” while you’re getting a haircut

• Someone says, “You are hilarious!” at a funeral

Communication happens in many forms and can use multiple senses like…

Sight, hearing, smell, touch

Communication can be verbal or nonverbal:

Verbal: spoken or written words

Nonverbal: gestures, facial expressions, signs

T/F: Variations in communication are NOT impairments

True

Dialects definition

differences that reflect a particular regional, social, cultural, or ethnic identity and are NOT disorders of speech or language

• legitimate, rule governed varieties of English.

Ex) African American Vernacular English (AAVE)

• “ain’t” instead of “am not”/”have not”

What is the “primary vehicle” (primary means of language expression for most individuals) in human communication?

language and speech

Clinical practice requires an awareness of…

each person’s customs, beliefs, and ethical manner

Characteristics of the culturally competent/sensitive SLPs

• Simultaneous appreciation of cultural patterns and individual variation

• Engagement in cultural self-scrutiny

• Embracing principles of evidence-based practice

• Seeking to understand language disorders within the client’s social context

What is Language?

socially shared code used to represent concepts.

• The code uses symbols to represent concepts in rule-governed ways.

• NOT STEADY → constantly changes

• Characteristics

  • Social-shared

  • Rule-governed

  • Arbitrary (but agreed upon)

  • Generative

  • Dynamic (NOT STATIC)

3 Components of Langauge

Form

Content

Use

Form

Syntax

Morphology

Phonology

Syntax

how words are arranged into sentences

• Sentence level structure of language that marks relationships between rules and ideas.

  • “Feed the dog!”

  • “Did you make your bed?”

  • “How are you feeling today?”

  • “I did not read my chapter yet”

  • “I will read my chapter and then I will write my notes”

Syntax: Sentence Types

• Declarative – My sister walks the dog

• Interrogative – Who is walking the dog?

• Imperative – Walk the dog!

• Negative – My brother didn’t walk the dog.

  • “never” also = negative

• Passive – The dog was fed by my brother.

• Conjoined – My brother and sister take turns walking the dog.

• Clausal embedding – My sister walks the dog that lives next door.

Morphology

how words are formed from smaller parts (prefixes, suffixes, endings)

• E.g., dog vs. dogs / pass vs passed

• Prefixes and suffixes (pretest, softly)

  • Free morphemes: May stand alone as a word

    • “Cat”

  • Bound morphemes: Must be attached to free morphemes; change meaning of words

    • the “-s” in “cats”

Morphemes: How many morphemes are in these words?

• Cucumber = 1

• Littering = 2

• Monstrous / Mysterious = 2

• Reappeared = 3

• Farmer = 2

• Finger = 1

• Mother's = 2

Phonology

the sound system of a language and how sounds are used

• Phonotactic rules: How sounds may be arranged

• IPA e.g., /sup/ = “soup”

Context

Semantics

Semantics

the meaning of words and sentences

• consists of 2 types of information: lexical and conceptual

  • Lexical: /d/ /o/ /g/

  • Concept: barks, wags tail, growls, soft, four legs

Use

Pragmatics

Pragmatics

how language is used in social situations (taking turns, staying on topic, using language appropriately)

• Intent; request; quality of expression; topic initiation, maintenance, shifting, closure; eye contact; body gestures, intonation

• Cultural pragmatics - Pragmatic rules vary with culture

Expressive Vs. Receptive Language

• Expressive/Production

  • Speaking

  • Writing

  • Texting

  • Emails

• Receptive Comprehension

  • Understanding

  • Reading

  • Reading text messages

  • Reading emails

Exercise Q1: smallest unit of language that expresses meaning

Answer: Morphology

Exercise Q2: sound system of language

Answer: phonology

Exercise Q3: meaning system of language

Answer: semantics

Exercise Q4: sentence lvl structure of language that marks relationships between words or ideas

Answer: syntax

Exercise Q5: how we use language in social interactions

Answer: pragmatics

Exercise Q6: way in which speech sounds are formed

Answer: articulation

Exercise Q7: smooth, forward flow of communication

Answer: fluency

Exercise Q8: includes vocal quality, loudness, and pitch

Answer: voice

Speech

Speech is the process of producing the acoustic representations or sounds of language

3 Parts:

• Articulation

• Fluency (smooth, forward flow of communication)

• Voice

Nonverbal Communication

2/3 of our communication is nonverbal!

4 Parts:

• Artifacts

• Kinesics

• Proxemics

• Chronemics

Artifacts in nonverbal communication

The way you look, your clothes, your possessions

Kinesics in nonverbal communication

The way we move our bodies, “body language”

Proxemics in nonverbal communication

study of physical distance between people – reflects relationship and is influenced by age and culture

Chronemics in nonverbal communication

effect of time on communication. Linear

• Cultural, status, work ethic, etc. – being late is disrespectful in US and Germany

Communication is considered impaired when it differs from community standards enough that it…

• Interferes with sending or understanding messages

• Sounds noticeably unusual or different

• Causes negative feelings for the speaker (e.g., frustration, embarrassment)

ASHA (1997) defines communication disorders as disorders of:

• Speech (articulation, voice, and fluency)

• Oral neuromotor control and movement

• Language and/or literacy

• Hearing and balance

• Feeding and swallowing (dysphagia)

• Cognitive and social communication

Prevalence definition

the number or percentage of people in a population who have a disorder at a given time

About ___ of the U.S. population has a communication disorder

17%

About ___ have a hearing loss

11%

• Percentage of people with hearing loss increases with age

About ___ of people have a speech, voice, or language disorder, including nearly ___ of children

6%; 8%

Q1: A person demonstrates abnormal movement patterns of the face and mouth

orofacial/myofunctional pattern disorders

Q2: A person demonstrates difficulty swallowing

Dysphagia

Q3: A person experiences deficits in one of the following areas: articulation, fluency, voice

Speech sound disorders

Q4: A person demonstrates deficits in one or more of the following areas: phonology, morphology, syntax, content, use

Language disorder

Language (verbal and nonverbal) = primary way humans communicate; What are the 3 types?

Spoken, written, and signed

Quiz Q1: Disorders with the rhythm of speech are known as _____ disorders

Fluency

Q2: Which of the following is NOT true regarding communication impairments

Interferes with the transmission of messages

it produces negative feelings within the communicator

Stands out as being unusually different

All of these are true

Q3: What percentage of people in the US have a communication disorder? 

17%

Q4: Which of the following terms does NOT apply to language?

Static

Arbitrary

Social-shared

Rule-governed

Q5: As an SLP working with a client who is a speaker of a dialect other than your own you look up information on the linguistic features of your client's dialect. What characteristic of a culturally competent SLP have you demonstrated?

Simultaneous appreciation of cultural patterns and individual variation

Q6: Which of the following is an example of receptive language?

Reading

Q7: ____ of our messages are nonverbal

2/3

Q8: What sentence type has been demonstrated in the following sentence: "Make your bed!"

Imperative

Q9: _____ is the smallest unit of language that have some independent meaning/form/function.

Morphology

Q10: True or False: An individual can have both a language difference and a language disorder.

True

Language Impairments

Heterogeneous group of developmental and/or acquired disorders and/or delays

Languaage Impairments affect…

understanding and/or producing spoken or written language

• They may involve:

  • Form

  • Content

  • Function (use) of language