Language:
description
Transcript of Language:
Language:
“the jewel of the crown of cognition”
- Steven Pinker
What is language?
• A form of communication that is based on a system of symbols
• It is perhaps what separates humans from other species.
Language Structure
• Phonemes
• Morphemes
• Words
• Phrases
• Sentences
• Discourse
Grammar: The rules of language
• Semantics - deriving meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences
• Syntax - rules of how words are ordered
• Note that there is productivity in language as well as regularity
Can Animals Understand Language?
• Washoe- chimpanzee who was taught sign language– Acquired 181 signs
• Kanzi- bonobo taught some English – displays understanding of limited
vocabulary
How does language develop?
• 6 months = cooing, vowels, babbling– “citizens of the world”
• 12 months = spoken language sounds only, first words
• 18-24 months = telegraphic (two-word) speech
• By age 6 = understands most grammar rules of language (implicitly!)
Can the “citizens of the world” window be lengthened?
• Using audiotapes of other languages?
• Videos of other languages?
A related tangent: Theory of Mind
• The understanding of symbolic representations occurs around 48 months of age
• This is also the age when theory of mind develops = understanding of others’ mental states
Zimmerman, Christakis, and Meltzoff (2007)
• Compared language development in children who had been exposed to ‘Baby Einstein’ and ‘Brainy Baby’ DVDs
• Found a large negative correlation between watching and language abilities
• Avg of 6-8 words lost per hour of watching
Critical Period for Language
• During this period, we are especially sensitive to environmental influences
• Evidence:– Children in isolation do not learn rules of
grammar– Recovery after brain damage much more
likely earlier rather than later
Bilingualism
• Simultaneous bilinguals: learned 2 languages simultaneously
• Sequential bilinguals: learned one language, then another
Age of learning a 2nd language
• Phonology: the earlier, the better
• Vocabulary: age of acquisition does not matter
• Grammar: age does not matter
• Brain activation (Hirsch, 1997)– Early bilinguals- same area activated– Later bilinguals- adjacent area activated
Biological Influences: Chomsky’s Language Universals
• An innate ability to learn language is prewired
• Children worldwide develop in similar way around the world
• Language ability cannot be solely due to imitation
Environmental Influences
• Behaviorist view- operant conditioning– Issues
• Exposure to language improves and quickens language development
Strategies
• Be an active conversationalist.
• Talk as if you’re understood.
• Use a style with which you feel comfortable.
• Remember, infants shape us, too!