Language & Thought

Language

System of symbols used to communicate meaning.

Grammar

Rules for combining words into meaningful structures.

Whorf hypothesis

Language influences or determines thought.

Gendered language

Noun gender affects perception (e.g., German vs. Spanish words).

Phoneme

Smallest distinctive sound unit in speech.

Babbling stage

Around 4 months; infants produce varied speech-like sounds.

One-word stage

Around 1 year; speech mostly single words.

Two-word stage

Around 2 years; simple combinations like "go car."

Chomsky's theory

Humans have inborn universal grammar capacity.

Skinner's theory

Language learned via reinforcement and imitation (nurture).

Critical period

Optimal time (~before 7 years) to acquire language fluently.

Bilingualism

Associated with better attention, creativity, and cultural awareness.