PROPERTIES OF LANGUAGE

Discreteness

Language is composed of discrete units like words and morphemes that combine to create meaning.

Displacement

Language allows communication about things not present in the immediate context.

Arbitrariness

The relationship between words/morphemes and their meanings is not based on logic or inherent qualities.

Infinity

While language has a finite number of words, the combinations to form sentences are limitless.

Recursion

Language property allowing nesting structures within larger ones, like phrases within phrases.

Phonology

Governs the sequencing of phonemes, the basic sound units distinguishing words.

Morphology

Governs the sequencing of morphemes, the smallest units carrying meaning.

Syntax

Involves arranging words into sentences in a language.

Semantics

Deals with the meanings of words and sentences within a language.

Pragmatics

Refers to the knowledge underlying language use in context, considering implied meanings and social norms.

Learning/Behaviorist Theories

Emphasize learning through experience and environmental factors.

Biological/Nativist Theories

Propose language as a cognitive ability with innate mechanisms like the Language Acquisition Device.

Interactionist Theories

Suggest language development results from biological, cognitive, and environmental interactions.

Fast Mapping

Children learn new words based on minimal exposure.

Whole Object Assumption

Children assume new words refer to entire objects.

Joint Attention

Involves focusing on the same object or event with others to share meaning.

Operant conditioning

A method of learning that involves reinforcement or punishment for certain behaviors.

Herbert Terrace

A psychologist who conducted a project in the 1970s with a chimpanzee named Nim Chimpsky.

Nim Chimpsky

A chimpanzee involved in a project by Herbert Terrace to teach sign language using operant conditioning.

B.F

A psychologist whose work inspired Herbert Terrace's project with Nim Chimpsky.

Koko

Another famous project involving a gorilla who learned sign language.