AP Psychology: Unit 7 Part 5

Language Structure and Theories of Language Development

language

our spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning

phoneme

in a language, the smallest distinctive sound unit

morpheme

in a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or a part of a word

grammar

in a language, a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others

semantics

in a language, the set of rules for deriving meaning from sounds

syntax

in a language, the set of rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences

critical period

a specific, limited time frame early in an organism’s life during which exposure to certain environmental stimuli is essential for normal development

Genie

a prominent, tragic case study used to analyze language acquisition, cognitive development, and the "critical period" hypothesis

linguistic determinism

Whorf’s hypothesis that language determines the way we think