Fundamental Properties of Language

Human Language

Unique communication system distinguishing humans from animals.

Psycholinguistics

Study of language acquisition and cognitive processes.

Language Functions

Cooperation, sharing, knowledge transfer, and problem-solving.

Vygotsky's Theory

Language evolves from social communication to inner speech.

Inner Speech

Internal dialogue regulating behavior and cognitive functions.

Metacognition

Thinking about one's own thinking processes.

Social Brain Hypothesis

Brain size increased for maintaining social relationships.

Language Evolution

Developed through natural selection for communication needs.

Surface Structure

The outward form of language expressions.

Deep Structure

Underlying meaning of language expressions.

Cognitive Psychology

Study of mental processes related to language.

Communication System

Organized symbols and rules for conveying ideas.

Cognitive Tool

Language aids in planning and problem-solving.

Cultural Evolution

Language shapes social development and cultural practices.

Social Functions of Language

Maintains social bonds and facilitates group interactions.

Ecological Momentary Assessment

Method capturing real-time conversation snippets.

Dunbar's Proposal

Language as 'vocal grooming' for social bonding.

Language Instinct

Inherent ability for language developed through evolution.

Attention in Language

Focus required for language acquisition and use.

Memory in Language

Retention of language structures and vocabulary.

Perception in Language

Interpretation of linguistic symbols and meanings.

Executive Functions

Cognitive processes managing thoughts and actions.

Language and Cognition

Language influences thought processes and social behavior.

Language Acquisition

Process of learning language through social interaction.

Phonemes

Basic units of sound in a language.

Kuhl's Studies

Research showing infants learn better from live interaction.

Language vs Communication

Language includes complex rules; communication does not.

Hockett's Design Features

Characteristics distinguishing human language from animal communication.

Symbolic Language

Language uses symbols to represent concepts arbitrarily.

Arbitrariness

No inherent connection between words and their meanings.

Saussure's Theory

Linguistic signs are conventional, not intrinsic.

Cognitive Achievement

Understanding symbols represents significant cognitive development.

DeLoache's Research

Studies on children's understanding of symbolic representation.

Scale Model Studies

Demonstrated developmental differences in symbolic understanding.

Cognitive Scaffold

Language aids in manipulating abstract concepts and ideas.

Mathematical Symbols

Represent quantities and relationships abstractly.

Metacognition

Awareness of one's own mental processes.

Iconic Signals

Communication with direct physical connections to meanings.

Perniss et al. (2010)

Reviewed iconicity in spoken languages.

Bouba-Kiki Effect

Certain sounds associated with specific shapes cross-culturally.

Rule-governed Language

Language follows grammatical rules for symbol combination.

Chomsky's Universal Grammar

Innate set of grammatical rules for all languages.

Neurocognitive Research

Studies brain processes related to grammatical information.

Event-related Potentials (ERP)

Neural signatures linked to grammatical processing.

Psychological Implications

Symbolic language affects cognitive development and understanding.

Social Compact

Agreement within a community on language meanings.

P600

Brain response to syntactic violations, peaks at 600ms.

N400

Brain response to semantic violations, indicates meaning processing.

Syntactic Violations

Errors in grammatical structure of sentences.

Semantic Violations

Errors in meaning of words or sentences.

Agrammatic Aphasia

Impairment in grammatical processing ability.

Anomic Aphasia

Impairment in semantic processing ability.

Artificial Grammar Learning

Unconscious rule extraction from linguistic input.

Reber's Study (1967)

Participants judged strings from complex artificial grammar.

12-month-old Infants

Can detect patterns in artificial grammars.

Syntax

Rules governing word combination in language.

Broca's Area

Brain region for syntactic processing, located in left frontal gyrus.

Cross-linguistic Studies

Investigate brain activation across different languages.

Semantics

Meanings of words and sentences in language.

Ambiguity in Language

Multiple interpretations of words or phrases.

Semantic Priming

Facilitated recognition of related words after processing a word.

Meyer and Schvaneveldt (1971)

Demonstrated semantic priming effects in word recognition.

Eye-tracking Studies

Analyze real-time semantic processing during comprehension.

Tanenhaus et al. (1995)

Showed integration of semantic info with visual context.

Incremental Meaning Construction

Real-time integration of context in language comprehension.

Phonological Rules

Rules governing sound structure in language.

Linguistic Rules

Tacit knowledge enabling sentence generation and comprehension.

Neuroimaging Studies

Use fMRI to study brain regions in language processing.

Language-specific Rules

Grammatical rules that vary between different languages.

Universal Syntax Capacity

Innate ability to learn syntax across languages.

Cross-cultural research

Studies language similarities and differences across cultures.

Semantic domains

Categories of meaning encoded in language.

Basic colour terms

Fundamental color categories consistent across languages.

Spatial language

Language used to describe spatial relationships.

Absolute reference frames

Location described using fixed directions (e.g., north).

Relative reference frames

Location described using relative terms (e.g., left/right).

Cognitive processes

Mental activities involved in understanding and reasoning.

Pragmatic principles

Contextual rules guiding interpretation beyond literal meanings.

Irony and metaphor

Figures of speech requiring contextual understanding.

Theory of mind

Understanding others' mental states and intentions.

Working memory capacity

Ability to hold and manipulate information temporarily.

Ambiguity resolution

Process of clarifying unclear meanings in language.

Cultural background

Influence of culture on language interpretation.

Indirect speech acts

Requests made in a less direct manner.

Generativity

Ability to create infinite expressions from finite elements.

Recursion

Embedding structures within similar linguistic types.

Artificial language learning

Studying language acquisition using constructed languages.

Abstract algebraic rules

Patterns extracted from linguistic input by learners.

Linguistic input

Language exposure that facilitates learning and comprehension.

Operationalise recursion

Define and measure recursion across different languages.

Pirahã language

Amazonian language claimed to lack recursion.

Methodological debates

Discussions on research methods and their implications.

Novel stimuli

New linguistic sequences presented for testing understanding.

Recursive Structures

Patterns in language that allow self-reference.

Generative Language Abilities

Human capacity to create novel sentences.

Wug Test

Experiment showing children's morphological rule application.

Morphological Rules

Rules governing the structure of words.

Preferential Looking Paradigms

Research method observing children's visual attention.

Neurophysiological Measures

Techniques assessing brain activity during language tasks.

Developmental Trajectory

Progression of language abilities in children.