Language

Phonemes

Phonemes

smallest unit of a sound

think: “Phone” = calling = sound

Morphemes

smallest unit of __M__eaning

Syntax

Rules for making sentences

= word order

Semantics

Sentence Meaning

Grammar

the rules of language

• includes syntax and semantics

Prescriptive Grammar

the grammar we are formally taught in school

ex. “you” = refers to second person single and plural

Think: the schools “Prescribes” this grammar to you as a child

Descriptive Grammar

the grammar that is actually used in everyday speech

• informal

ex. using “ya’ll” = refers to plural “you” (informally)

Psycholinguistics

the study of the relationships between linguistic behavior and psychological processes, including the process of language acquisition

Broca’s Area

region of the brain

• speech production (helps make coherent sentences NOT involved in word recall or actual mouth movement)

• located in left frontal lobe

Damage in this area:

→ hesitant and fragmented speech

→ no grammatical structure

Wernicke’s Area

association area in LEFT temporal lobe

• contains motor neurons involved in the speech comprehension

Damage in this area:

→ incoherent gibberish, but fluent (if non-English speaker listened, would’ve thought they’re speaking normally)

Left Hemisphere

What hemisphere is language processed in?

Prenatal

Stage #1 of Language Acquisition

= late-term fetuses recognize mother’s voice

Cooing

Stage #2 of Language Acquisition

= vocalizations of infants (even deaf infants) are identical

Babbling

Stage #3 of Language Acquisition

= the sounds the child makes are now specific to the phonemes of the language they’re being exposed to

Holophrastic Speech

Stage #4 of Language Acquisition

= “one-word phase” of speech

• Overextension is common

  • ex. “Mama” used to refer to all strange females

  • ex. “doggie” overextended to all 4-legged creatures

Telegraphic Speech

Stage #5 of Language Acquisition

= 2-3 word sentences

ex.

“go store”

“me juice”

Overregularization

Stage #6 of Language Acquisition

= grammatical rules applied to all speech

ex. “we goed to the store”

Critical/Sensitive Period

= developmental time frame for learning skills/behaviors

evidence:

Wild/Isolated Children that were not nurtured/allowed to speak

→ thus, hard time speaking b/c language window is closed

Bilinguals (mult. languages)

Deaf Children (sign language)

Linguistic Relativity

“language influences thought”

ex. using masculine pronouns when talking about general examples

ex. referring to doctors as “he” → influences how kids think (stereotype develops)

Surface vs. Deep Structure

many sentences have 1 surface structure but many deep structures (meanings/ways of interpretation)

ex. sentences in Amelia Bedelia

ex. “Last night I shot an elephant in my pajamas”

• punch line: “How he got in my pajamas I’ll never know”

ex. “The artist painted me on his porch”

• surface structure = just the words

vs

• deep structure = artist a picture of you on the floorboards, or painted you while he is on his porch, or painted you while you’re on his porch

Nativist Theories (NATURE)

a theory for language acquisition

= “humans are predisposed to language”

Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

a part of the nativist theory for language acquisition

= “we’re born w/system for processing and producing language”

(there’s an actual neural network that develops with practice)

Universal Grammar

evidence for the nativist theory for language acquisition

= all languages share similarities

• all have group of words to describe things (adjectives)

• all have words for doing things (verbs)

• etc.

Learning Theories (NURTURE)

a language acquisition theory

= “learning languages happens through observation and conditioning”

• children rewarded for speech

• children pick up accents and vocab of parents

Cognitive Theories (Nature AND Nurture)

a language acquisition theory

= “humans are predisposed to language (it’s an innate system) BUT can’t develop without experience

evidence:

• critical period (wild children)

• language skills develop as cognitive skills do

• problem solving and memory aids us in language learning

  • “talking through” a problem helps us solve it

Phonetic Awareness

the understanding that a letter corresponds to certain sound

ex. looking at a T and thinking “tuh”