Lecture 10: Language in Context

Aphasia

• an impairment of language functioning cause by damage to the brain

• Language disorder caused by brain damage.

Bilinguals

• people who can speak two languages

• can enhance cognitive flexibility and delays dementia

• Can sometimes lead to language interference.

• beneficial for cognitive development and cultural understanding.

Cooperative principle

principle in conversation that holds that we seek to communicate in ways that make it easy for our listener to understand what we mean

Dialect

• a regional variety of a language distinguished by features such as vocabulary, syntax and pronunciation.

• show the diversity within a language.

Dual-system hypothesis

suggests that two languages are represented somehow in separate systems of the mind

Indirect requests

the making of a request without doing so straightforwardly.

Linguistic relativity

• the assertion that speakers of different languages have differing cognitive systems and that these different cognitive systems influence the ways in which people speaking the various languages think about the world.

• Language influences thought.

Linguistic universals

• characteristic patterns across all languages of various cultures.

• Common features across all languages.

Metaphors

• two nouns juxtaposed in way that positively asserts their similarities, while not disconfirming their dissimilarities

• "time is money" influence how we think about abstract concepts.

Monolinguals

people who can speak only one language

Pragmatics

the study of how people use language

Similes

introduces the word like or as into a comparison

Single-system hypothesis

suggests that two languages are represented in just one system

Slips of the tounge

• inadvertent linguistic errors in what we say

• Errors in speech that reveal underlying cognitive processes. Analyzing these slips helps in understanding the complexity of language production.

Speech acts

addresses the question of what you can accomplish with speech.

Language

shapes our perception and categorization of the world.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

The idea that the structure of a language affects its speakers' worldview or cognition. Strong version claims language determines thought; weak version suggests language influences thought. For example, Hopi language and its conceptualization of time.

Age, Motivation, Exposure, Learning Environment

Factors That Influence Second-Language Acquisition

One System

Bilingualism as integrated language system in the brain

Two System

Bilingualism as separate systems for each language

Language mixtures and change

How languages borrow and evolve over time. Examples include Spanglish and the

influence of technology on language change.

Neuroscience and Bilingualism

How the brain processes multiple languages. Bilinguals often have enhanced executive control functions and different brain activation patterns for each language.

Language in a social context

How language use varies based on social interactions. Pragmatics and sociolinguistics study how context affects language use.

Turn-taking, relevance, clarity

Characteristics of Successful Conversations. Effective communication relies on understanding these social rules.

Expressive, assertive

Research shows women often use more ____ language. ____ Menmay use more _____ assertive speech.

Lack

Do Animals Have Language?

The debate over whether animal communication qualifies as language. While animals communicate, their systems ____the complexity and generativity of human language.

Broca’s area

Brain structures involved in speech production.

Wernicke’s Area

Brain structures involved in language comprehension

Broca’s Area and Wernicke’s Area

Brain structures involved in language. Damage to these areas results in specific language deficits

Left temporal lobe and fusiform gyrus

How the brain processes and recognizes words. Involves areas like the ____ and ____.

Left inferior frontal gyrus

The Brain and Semantic Processing

How the brain understands meaning. Involves regions

Plasticity of the Brain

The brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize itself. Learning a new language can lead to increased grey matter density.

Both

Studies suggest women might use ____ hemispheres more evenly for language tasks.

The brain and sign language

Brain areas involved in processing sign language. Similar areas are activated for sign language as for spoken language in deaf signers.

Wernicke’s aphasia

Fluent speech but poor comprehension. Example: Speaking in long sentences that don’t make sense.

Broca’s aphasia

Difficulty in speech production. Example: Speaking in short, broken sentences.

Global Aphasia

Severe impairment in all language functions. Example: Limited ability to speak, understand, read, or write.

Anomic Aphasia

Difficulty in finding the right words. Example: Describing an object instead of naming it.

Autism

A developmental disorder affecting communication and behavior. Individuals with ____ may have difficulty with conversational turn-taking and understanding social cues.