PCSD 285 Language Development (Ch.1-4)

Communication

process of exchanging information

Speech

verbal communication

Phonemes

sounds that make up the english language

language

socially shared code for representing concepts via the use of arbitrary symbols and rule-governed combinations of these symbols

linguistic

of or referring to languagel

Linguistic performance

actual language use, reflecting linguistic competence and the communication constraints

dialect

subcategories of a parent language that are similar

List the 5 components of language

morphology, phonology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics

morphology

the organization of words

morpheme

smallest unit of meaning

pragmatics

social use of language

semantics

system of rules that governs the meaning of words

semantic features

aspects of the meaning that characterize the word

give an example of semantic features

mother means female parent

selection restrictions

based on these specific features and prohibit certain word combinations because they are meaningless and redundant

syntax

sentence structure

phonology

rules that govern speech sounds and shapes of syllables

suprasegmentals

vocal quality, intonation, stress, tone, rate

paralinguistic

tone, pitch, etc

nonlinguistic

body language

metalinguistic

abilities to talk about language, analyze it, think about it, judge it (idioms, figure of speech, etc.)

bound morpheme

dependent (prefix or suffix)

free morpheme

independent (root word)

dialect

a language rule system used by an identifiable group of people that varies in some way from an ideal language standard

Generative or Nativist Approach to Language Development

assumes children are born with innate abilities to learn language (pre-wired” for language acquisition

Nature

there are biological bases for language acquisition

Nurture

there are environmental bases for language acquisition

Constructionist or Empiricist or Interactionist Approach

children learn language from environmental interactions

Linguistic Theory

the study of language and language development

Data

information that is gathered about a person

Sample

group of people who participate in a research project

variability

refers to the variability within the sample

Nature theory

Chomsky’s theory. Generative and nativist (all about nature and being prewired)

Nurture

Constructionist, empiricist, interactionist (a child is a very active participant in language development)

Language Acquisition Device

proposed that these rules are housed theoretically in the brain. Children use the rules found in LAD to figure out the rules of the language to which they are exposed.

Semantic syntactic relations

instead of the subjects and verbs used by adults to produce sentences, children use meaning units (agents, actions, objects)

Pitfalls to Nativist/Generative Approach

These rules explain some child utterances but fail to explain other forms of sentences, such as interrogatives

Constructionist/Empiricist/Interactionist Approach

B.F. Skinner says parents model language and children imitate it. The child is a contributing member in the language learning process

Emergentism

language development occurs due to interacting patterns in the human brain. Something in the brain makes language learning innately possible.

Central Nervous System

Brain and spinal cord

Peripheral Nervous System

cranial nerves

Broca’s Area

in the frontal lobe, houses center for motor programming and planning for speech production

Wernicke’s Area

in the temporal lobe, houses center for your ability to understand spoken language

cerebrum

brain

cortex

gray matter, what you see when you examine a brain

Working memory

amount of information you can retain temporarily in memory, usually +-7 digits/items of information

Motor Cortex

in frontal lobe, controls voluntary movement, including those for speech productionc

Corpus callosum

fibrous, connective tract that joins left and right hemisphere

Right hemisphere

non-speech tasks, memory, attention, sensory awareness, abstract thought, etc.l

Left hemisphere

language dominant hemisphere for most who are right handed and controls production and comprehension of speech and language

neuron

basic unit of the nervous system (how we transmit impulses)

3 parts of the neuron

cell body, axon, dendrite

Axon

transmits impulses away from the cell body

dendrite

receives impulses from other cells and transmits them to cell body

brain stem

rests at the top of the spinal rod, responsible for life-sustaining functions (respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, consciousness, etc.)

frontal lobe

controls voluntary motor function and houses Broca’s Area

parietal lobe

sensory information, reading, word recognition, etc.T

Temporal Lobe

processes auditory information, houses Wernicke’s Area

Occipital lobe

most posterior lobe, responsible for vision

Myelination

where the entire nervous system is wrapped in a protective sheath, resulting in an increase in functioning capacity in the brain

Language comprehension

auditory processing and language decoding

Heschl’s Gyrus

decides whether or not it’s language

Reflexes

involuntary motor patterns

Information Processing

attention, discrimination, organization, memory

Attention

getting someone’s focus

discrimination

focusing on whose talking to you

organization

putting it into your working memory so you can respond to it

memory

to memorize it

central sulcus

separates your frontal lobe from your parietal lobe

synaptogenesis

cells communicating with each other

assimilation

the use of existing schemes to incorporate external stimuli

accommodation

a transformational process in response to external stimuli that do not fit into any available scheme and can’t be assimilated

Phasing

monitors infant behavior to determine when to slot her behavior for most impact

Adaptive

exhibits behaviors that enable infant to assimilate information more rapidly

facilitative

structures routine and environment to ensure infant success

elaborative

allows child to indicate an interest then elaborates on it

initiating

directs infant’s attention to objects, events, and persons

Control

tells infant what she or he is to do