Speech, Language, and Thought

Language

• Abstract

• Complex rule governed communication system that is specific to a given language

  • Semantics

  • Syntax

  • Morphology

  • Phonology

Thought

Internal representation of experiences

Conversion Model of Thought to Speech

1. Thought (Ideas, experiences, attitude)

2. Language (Syntax, Semantics, Morphology)

   • Works with thought to create timing, buffer, and prosody

3. Speech (Myomotor, Neuromotor, Articulation)

   • Will produce sound

Speech Production Model

Thoughts can be expressed orally by transforming dynamic representations of chunks of speech from a buffer into audible pressure waves via a stream of coordinated movements

Steps:

1. Feature to command

2. Command to contraction

3. Contraction to shape

4. Shape to sound

Speech Chain

Linguistic —→ Physiological —→ Acoustic —→ Physiological —→ Linguistic

Speaker encodes message —> Acoustic signal transmitted —> Listener decodes signal

Observation domains within the speech chain

• Neural Processes (CNS)

• Neuromuscular Process

• Articulation

• Acoustics

• Hearing System

• Stimulus Transform

• Neural Processes (CNS)

Neural Processes

Observation Domain 1

Focuses on brain activity in speech production and perception

Can be measured through:

• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

• MEG (Magnetoencephalography)

• EEG (Electroencephalography)

Neuromuscular Processes

Observation Domain 2

Electrical activity of speech muscles

Measured through an electromyography

Articulation

Observation Domain 3

Involved in production of speech sounds

Traditional domain in phonetics

Acoustic Signal

Observation Domain 4

Properties of sound traveling between speaker and listener

Output of articulation

Input to perception process

Auditory System

Observation Domain 5

Physiological and neurological foundation of perception

How the brain and ears perceive sound

Stimulus Transformation

Observation Domain 6

Associated with psychoacoustics, psychophonetics, speech perception

How we maintain speech categories across contexts/speakers