module 36

language

our spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning.

morphemes

in a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or a part of a word

phonemes

in a language, the smallest distinctive sound unit.

grammar

in a language, a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others. In a given language, semantics is the set of rules for deriving meaning from sounds, and syntax is the set of rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences.

syntax

the set of rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences.

semantics

the set of rules for deriving meaning from sounds

receptive language

the ability for babies to understand what is said to and about them

babbling stage

beginning at about 4 months, the stage of speech development in which the infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household language

one-word stage

the stage in speech development, from about age 1 to 2, during which a child speaks mostly in single words.

two-word stage

beginning about age 2, the stage in speech development during which a child speaks mostly in two-word statements.

telegraphic speech

early speech stage in which a child speaks like a telegram—“go car”—using mostly nouns and verbs.

How does Noam Chomsky describe the learning of language?

Noam Comsky describes the learning of language, claiming we humans are born with a built-in predisposition to learn grammar rules, which helps explain why pre- schoolers pick up language so readily and use grammar so well. It happens so naturally—as naturally as birds learn to fly—that training hardly helps.

universal grammar

the concept that all languages do share some basic elements.

How does statistical learning compare to Chomsky’s ideas?

Statistical learning is when infants quickly recognize "statistical patterns" in syllable frequency/syntax that help them acquire language. This goes hand and hand with Chomsky’s idea that humans are born with a predisposition to learn grammar rules.

critical period

a period for mastering certain aspects of language before the language-learning window closes.

linguistic determinism

Whorf’s hypothesis that language determines the way we think.

aphasia

impairment of language, usually caused by left-hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (impairing understanding).

Broca’s area

controls language expression—an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.

Wernicke’s area

controls language reception—a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe.