Part 1: Definitions and Theories of Language Development and Acquistion

LANGUAGE BASICS

LANGUAGE BASICS: What is language?

A complex and dynamic system of conventional symbols used in various modes for thought and communication.

LANGUAGE BASICS: What is a code?

A system of symbols used to represent information.

LANGUAGE BASICS: What is a morpheme?

The smallest unit of language that carries meaning.

LANGUAGE BASICS: Why is language considered dynamic?

Language can change within individuals, communities, and during aging.

LANGUAGE BASICS: Why do language communities ( a group of people that use a common language) emerge?

Geographic, sociological, and economic reasons.

LANGUAGE BASICS:What is language used for?

Human communication and thought.

LANGUAGE BASICS: Is language human-specific?

So far, language is considered a human-specific tool, although animals communicate in their own ways.

LANGUAGE BASICS: What does the brain use language for?

Storing information and carrying out cognitive processes.

Example

Brain uses language as a tool to think and remember things.

Your notes say language is a cognitive tool that helps with things like:

• Storing information → remembering facts, experiences, and knowledge.

• Reasoning → thinking through a problem.

• Hypothesizing → imagining or considering what might happen.

• Memorizing → keeping information in your memory.

• Planning → deciding what you are going to do.

• Problem solving → figuring out how to fix or accomplish something.

LANGUAGE BASICS: What cognitive processes does language support?

Reasoning, hypothesizing, memorizing, planning, and problem solving.

SPEECH : What is speech?

The neuromuscular process by which language is turned into a sound signal.

Or

Speech is the process of turning your thoughts and language into sounds that other people can hear.

SPEECH : What are the four systems of speech?

Respiration, phonation, resonation, and articulation.

SPEECH :What does respiration provide for speech?

Airflow

SPEECH : What does phonation involve?

Phonation is the process where the vocal folds in the larynx vibrate to produce sound

SPEECH :What does resonation do?

Shaping and modifying the sound through the vocal tract.

SPEECH : What is articulation ?

Oral cavity movements that create speech sounds.

SPEECH : Name three things that speech production require?

Airflow, vocal fold vibration, and finely controlled oral cavity movements.

SPEECH : What is a basic model of speech production? ( The four steps of speech porduction)

→ A mental representation (You decide what to say) →

→ Motor schema(Your brain then plans how to physically say it.)

→ Speech output (say the words)

→ Ongoing feedback. (While you're speaking, your brain checks what you're producing.

You can hear yourself and feel how your mouth is moving. Your brain uses this information to determine whether the speech sounds correct.)

SPEECH : What is a motor schema?

A motor schema is the plan your brain makes for how to move your speech muscles to produce sounds.

When it says “organized into syllable chunks,” it means your brain organizes the movements needed to speak one syllable at a time.

Example: “banana” 🍌

The word has 3 syllables:

ba – na – na

Your brain creates a plan for the movements needed to produce each syllable:

ba → na → na

That plan tells your speech muscles what to do with your tongue, lips, jaw, and vocal folds.

SPEECH : Why does speech have advantages over other communication methods?

It allows communication without relying only on methods such as gesturing or grunting.

HEARING & COMMUNICATION: Why is hearing important?

It is essential for receiving and comprehending spoken language.

HEARING & COMMUNICATION: What is communication?

The process of sharing information between a sender and receiver.

HEARING & COMMUNICATION: What is formulation?

Formulation means putting your thoughts together into a message that you can communicate to someone else.

HEARING & COMMUNICATION: What is transmission?

Conveying ideas.

HEARING & COMMUNICATION: What is reception?

Receiving information.

HEARING & COMMUNICATION: What is comprehension?

Making sense of information.

HEARING & COMMUNICATION: What does the sender do?

Formulates and transmits the information.

HEARING & COMMUNICATION: What does the receiver do?

Takes in and comprehends the information.

THE THREE MAJOR DOMAINS: What are the three major domains of language?

Form, content, and use.

THE THREE MAJOR DOMAINS OF LANGUAGE : What is form?

How words, sentences, and sounds are organized and arranged to convey content.

THE THREE MAJOR DOMAINS: What is content?

The words used and their meaning.

THE THREE MAJOR DOMAINS: What is use?

Use means how we use language to communicate with other people and accomplish something.

Example:

Imagine you want a glass of water. 💧

You could use language to say:

“Can I have some water?”

You are using language to get something you need.

THE THREE MAJOR DOMAINS: What are the five major domains/components of language?

Phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.

THE THREE MAJOR DOMAINS: Which three are part of FORM?

Phonology, morphology, and syntax.

THE THREE MAJOR DOMAINS: Which domain is CONTENT?

CONTENT = What does language mean?

Content is about meaning.

• Semantics → the meaning of words and sentences.

THE THREE MAJOR DOMAINS: Which domain is USE?

Pragmatics

PHONOLOGY: What is phonology?

→ The sound system; rules governing the sounds that make syllables and words.

PHONOLOGY: What is phonological development?

Acquiring the rules of language that govern the sound structure of syllables and words

PHONOLOGY: What is a phonological representation?

A neurological imprint (stored pattern in your brain.) of a phoneme that differentiates it from other phonemes.

PHONOLOGY: What is phonological knowledge?

Acquisition(Obtaining) of internal representations of phonemes in a language.

This means that as a child learns a language, they develop mental representations (sound memories) of the speech sounds used in that language.

PHONOLOGY: What are phonological productions?

Expression of phonemes to produce syllables and words.

PHONOLOGY: What are phonotactic rules?

Rules specifying legal orders of sounds and where specific phonemes can or cannot occur.

PHONOLOGY: What are phonotactic probabilities?

Sound sequences that are likely or unlikely in a language.

PHONOLOGY: Why are phonotactic probabilities important for infants?

They help infants separate unfamiliar words from continuous speech.

Because babies don't automatically hear spaces between words. Phonotactic probabilities give them clues for finding unfamiliar words within continuous speech.

PHONOLOGY: What are prosodic cues?

are clues in the way we speak that help babies figure out how speech is organized.

Rhythm, syllable stress, and word stress.

PHONOLOGY: How do infants use prosodic cues?

Babies listen to the rhythm and stress patterns of speech to help figure out where words might begin and end.

Stress = when we emphasize one syllable more than another.

For example:

BAby

The BA is stressed more than by.

Babies listen to these patterns over and over. These patterns give them clues about where words might start and end.

PHONOLOGY: What is a phoneme?

A sound unit that distinguishes one word from another.

PHONOLOGY: What is a minimal pair?

Two words that differ by only one phoneme and have different meanings.