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Communication and Language Development
Page 1: Communication and Language Development
Page 2: Understanding Language
Language Definition: An agreed-upon system of spoken, written, or signed words, and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning.
Phoneme: The smallest distinctive sound unit in a language.
Morpheme: The smallest unit that carries meaning; it can be a word or a part of a word (such as a prefix).
Page 3: Morphology Resources
Color Coded Morpheme Cards:
Prefix Examples: al-, ad-, ac-, ag-, ap-, as-, at-.
Latin Roots: Meaning "to hang or weigh".
Examples: pendulum, dependent, pendant, suspend, independence, impending.
Refix Examples: midlife, midpoint, midyear, midsummer, midnight, midterm.
Suffix Meaning: place or state of being.
Examples: kingdom, freedom, wisdom, stardom, random, boredom.
Page 4: Grammar and Universal Grammar
Grammar: A system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others.
Semantics: The set of rules for deriving meaning from sounds.
Syntax: Rules for combining words into grammatically correct sentences.
Universal Grammar (UG): The innate predisposition to understand grammar principles in all languages.
Page 5: Chomsky's Theory of Language Acquisition
Language and Thought: Language allows for thoughts to be communicated.
Noam Chomsky: Argued that language is an innate cognitive function, suggesting humans are predisposed to develop language.
Universal Grammar: The concept that humans are born with the innate ability to learn grammar and vocabulary of any language they encounter early in life.
Page 6: Milestones in Language Development
Babbling Stage: Starts around four months; infants create various sounds not related to their household language.
One-Word Stage: From ages 1 to 2, children primarily speak single words.
Page 7: Early Speech Development
Two-Word Stage: Begins around age 2; children communicate using two-word sentences.
Telegraphic Speech: Early stage where speech resembles telegrams; primarily uses nouns and verbs (e.g., "go car").
Page 8: Language Acquisition Preparation
Prenatal Edge: Babies have a slight advantage for the language they heard in the womb.
Receptive Language Skills: By 4 months, infants can recognize sound differences.
One-Year Milestone: Enter the one-word stage, usually starting with recognizable syllables.
Overgeneralization: Children may misuse grammatical rules (e.g., "I goed to the store").
Page 9: Summary of Language Development Stages
Month (approximate) | Stage |
|---|---|
4 | Babbles many speech sounds ("ah-goo") |
10 | Babbling resembles household language ("ma-ma") |
12 | One-word speech ("Kitty!") |
24 | Two-word speech ("Get ball.") |
24+ | Rapid development into complete sentences |
Page 10: Critical Period for Language Acquisition
Critical Period: If not exposed to language before age 7, children may not master any language.
Cultural Influence: Environment can affect complexity of language acquisition.
Aging and Language Learning: Language learning becomes more difficult with age.
Impact on Deaf Children: Early exposure to sign language is crucial for fluency.
Page 11: Aphasia and Language Areas
Aphasia: Language impairment typically due to left hemisphere damage.
Broca’s Area: Frontal lobe area responsible for language expression; damage affects speech.
Wernicke’s Area: Area in the left temporal lobe vital for language comprehension and expression; damage leads to meaningless speech and comprehension issues.
Page 12: Brain Areas in Language Processing
Broca’s Area: Directs muscle movement for speech; damage can hinder ability to produce meaningful sounds.
Wernicke’s Area: Oversees language comprehension; damage results in difficulty understanding speech and generating coherent speech.
Page 13: Language and Thought
Linguistic Determinism: Whorf’s hypothesis that language shapes thought.
Linguistic Relativism: The idea that language influences thought but does not strictly determine it.
Page 14: Whorf’s Hypothesis and its Implications
Whorf’s Evidence: Uses examples from the Hopi language, which lacks a past tense, suggesting limited thinking about the past.
Linguistic Relativity: Acknowledges that while language affects thought, it does not completely dictate it.
Importance of Word Choice: Words influence biases and thought, stressing the need for careful word selection.