PSYC2050 – The Science of Language Revision Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the key concepts of linguistic components, brain areas, and language acquisition theories from PSYC2050.

Arbitrary Symbols

The concept that there is no natural connection between a word and its meaning, illustrated by different sounds representing the same concept in various languages.

Discrete Infinity

The generative property of language where a finite set of symbols can be combined to produce an infinite number of possible messages.

Phonemes

The smallest units of sound that change meaning, such as the difference between /k/ in cat and /b/ in bat.

Phonology

The set of rules governing how sounds are combined within a specific language.

Morphemes

The smallest units of meaning in a language.

Content Morphemes

Morphemes that carry meaning, such as 'dog', 'anti-', or '-able'.

Functional Morphemes

Morphemes that carry grammatical information, such as '-s' for plural, '-ed' for past tense, and '-ing' for continuous tense.

Syntax

The rules for arranging words into sentences to create grammatical structure.

Recursion

The linguistic process of embedding clauses within clauses to create complex sentences.

Parsing

The process of determining sentence structure, which can reveal ambiguity as seen in the sentence 'Sherlock saw the man using binoculars.'

Semantics

The study of the meaning of words and sentences, distinct from syntax.

Pragmatics

The study of how social context and environment affect language use and how meaning is often determined by context rather than literal interpretation.

McGurk Effect

A phenomenon demonstrating that speech perception is not purely auditory but integrates visual information, such as lip movements.

Maxim of Quantity

A Gricean cooperative principle stating that one should provide the right amount of information—neither too much nor too little.

Maxim of Quality

A Gricean principle requiring speakers to tell the truth and avoid giving false information.

Maxim of Relation

A Gricean principle stating that one should be relevant to the topic of conversation.

Maxim of Manner

A Gricean principle stating that one should be clear and avoid confusing or obscure language.

Broca's Area

Located in the left frontal lobe, this area is responsible for language and grammar production.

Broca's Aphasia

A condition caused by damage to the left frontal lobe resulting in slow, effortful speech and agrammatism.

Agrammatism

A symptom of Broca's Aphasia characterized by difficulty producing grammatical structure, such as saying 'Boy kick ball'.

Wernicke's Area

Located in the left temporal lobe, this area is responsible for language comprehension.

Wernicke's Aphasia

A condition involving damage to the left temporal lobe that causes poor comprehension and fluent but meaningless speech.

Lateralization

The tendency for language functions to be dominant in the left hemisphere for most individuals.

Universal Grammar

Chomsky's theory that all languages share underlying principles and an innate framework.

Deep Structure

The universal rules and underlying meanings common across all languages.

Surface Structure

The specific word orders and grammatical arrangements used in different languages, such as Subject-Verb-Object in English.

Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

An innate mechanism proposed by Chomsky that assists children in the acquisition of language.

Poverty of the Stimulus

The argument that environmental input alone is insufficient for children to learn grammar, suggesting that aspects of language must be innate.

Over-regularisation

A developmental stage where children generate rules based on grammar rather than imitation, resulting in errors like 'foots' or 'runned'.

Critical Period

A developmental window during childhood when language is most easily acquired; after puberty, acquisition becomes significantly more difficult.