Language and Speech Development Review

Vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture notes on early language and speech, covering social, cognitive, perceptual, motor, neurological, and descriptive bases of language, including communication elements.

Social communication

Verbal + nonverbal interactions with partners.

Gesture

Early communicative act (pointing, waving, arms up). Predicts language learning.

Intention reading

Understanding others communicative purposes.

Joint attention

Shared focus (pointing, gaze-following); predicts language development.

Joint action

Shared caregiver-infant routines (games, daily activities). Builds turn-taking.

Imitation

Motor/vocal copying that promotes attention & language.

Symbolic play

Pretend play (using objects/actions to represent others); starts ~18m.

Social smile

First smile at 3 - 6 weeks.

Intentionality

Goal-directed communication (develops 7-12 months).

Pre-intentional stage

Attention via crying.

Gestural intentions

8-9m: eye contact, consistent sounds, persistence.

Symbolic stage

10-12m: first meaningful words, sometimes with gestures.

Infant-Directed Speech (IDS)

Simplified, higher-pitched, exaggerated speech style directed at infants.

Motherese

Another term for IDS.

Emotional bonding

Purpose of IDS - establishes relationship and holds infant’s attention.

Symbol use

Representing ideas through language; requires cognition, perception, motor skill.

Neuron growth

Neurons formed prenatally; unused neurons pruned.

Synaptogenesis

Formation of neural connections by synapse firing.

Motor cortex

Controls voluntary movement (active ~2 months).

Prefrontal cortex

Planning, decision-making, gestures (~8 months).

Sensation

Ability to register sensory input (all senses at birth).

Habituation

Decreased response to repeated stimulus.

Perception

Discriminating and interpreting sensory input.

Early speech perception

Infants prefer speech, recognize mother’s voice, discriminate prosody.

Phonotactics

Rules for allowable phoneme sequences in a language.

Phonotactic probability

Likelihood of phoneme sequences (high = easier to learn).

Motor control

Coordinating muscle movements with sensory feedback.

Neonatal reflexes

Involuntary motor patterns (sucking, gagging).

Babbling CV patterns

Labial-central (/ba/), coronal-front (/dæ/), dorsal-back (/gu/).

Cognition

Mental processes for comprehension, storage, problem-solving.

Sensitive period

Window where development is most modifiable.

Critical Period Hypothesis

Language must be acquired before puberty for full ability.

Genie case

Evidence supporting critical period hypothesis.

CNS

Brain + spinal cord.

PNS

Nerves outside CNS; connect to body/organs.

Cerebrum

Largest brain part; divided into hemispheres.

Heschl’s area

Primary auditory area; processes incoming sound.

Wernicke’s area

Left hemisphere; linguistic analysis (phonology, syntax, semantics).

Broca’s area

Coordinates speech motor planning & auditory working memory.

Arcuate fasciculus

Pathway linking Wernicke’s ↔ Broca’s areas.

Motor cortex

Activates muscles for speech (respiration, phonation, articulation).

Broca’s Aphasia

Non-fluent speech, good comprehension.

Wernicke’s Aphasia

Fluent but nonsensical speech, poor comprehension.

Hemispheric asymmetry : left

Hemi that has language dominance

Hemispheric asymmetry : right

Hemi that has prosody, pragmatics, emotion.

Prosody

Rhythm, stress, intonation of speech.

Pragmatics (RH role)

Understanding jokes, irony, figurative language.

Auditory working memory

Temporary holding of phonological info in Broca’s area.

Phonology

Sound system of a language.

Semantics

Meaning of words/vocabulary.

Morphology

Rules for word forms (inflections, prefixes, suffixes).

Syntax

Rules for combining words into sentences.

Pragmatics

Social use of language.

Generative/Nativist Approach

Chomsky’s theory: innate Universal Grammar, LAD.

Universal Grammar (UG)

Innate set of language rules in the brain.

Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

Hypothetical brain mechanism for language learning.

Behaviorism/Empiricism

Skinner’s theory: language learned by imitation, reinforcement, environment.

Cognitive Theory

Piaget’s theory: language arises from cognitive development.

Social Interactionist Theory

Vygotsky’s theory: language emerges through social interaction.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Skills a child can perform with help, but not alone.

Scaffolding

Adult support that extends learning beyond the child’s ability.

Nature vs Nurture

innate ability vs environmental learning.

Communication

Exchange of information, ideas, needs, desires between individuals.

Speech

Verbal means of communication requiring precise neuromuscular coordination.

Articulation

Production of speech sounds (e.g., 'r' vs 'w').

Voice

Use of vocal folds and breathing to produce sound.

Fluency

Rhythm of speech (e.g., hesitations, stuttering).

Language

Socially shared system of symbols and rules for representing ideas.

Expressive Language

Language produced (speaking).

Receptive Language

Language understood (listening, comprehension).

Phonology

Rules for sound structure, distribution, and sequencing.

Phoneme

Smallest unit of sound that signals meaning difference (e.g., /m/ vs /b/).

Morphology

Study of word structure and construction.

Morpheme

Smallest grammatical unit (free or bound).

Syntax

Rules governing sentence structure and word order.

Semantics

Rules of meaning; words and sentence content.

Pragmatics

Rules for language use in social contexts.

Form

Structure of language (phonology, morphology, syntax).

Content

Meaning of language (semantics).

Use

Purpose of language in context (pragmatics).

AAC

Alternative Augmentative Communication (e.g., devices for autism).

Communicative Competence

Effectiveness and appropriateness of communication.