1. Language

2. Development of Language
Language: refers to our spoken, written, or gestured words and how they are combined to communicate.

3. Language: Building Blocks
1. Phonemes: the smallest distinctive sound unit.
How many phonemes is in the word: Chat?
2. Morphemes: the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or a part of a word (such as a prefix)
How many Morphemes is in the word “previewed?”
How many Morphemes is in the word “rabbits?”

4. Language: The Rules
Grammar: a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others. Includes semantics and syntax.
Semantics: the study of meaning; rules for how we get meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences in a given language.
Syntax: the rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences in a given language.

5. Examples of Language Rules
Semantic Examples: adding –ed to end of word does what?
Adding –s to a noun does what?
Syntax Examples: In English adjectives come before nouns but the opposite is true in Spanish.
Pretty girl
Chica bonita

6. Stages of Language
1. Babbling Stage:
beginning at 3 to 4 months
the stage of speech development in which the infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household language
10 months start to only learn the language of the household
Start to lose the ability to make sounds other than the sounds of the spoken language at home

7. Stages of Language 2. One word stage: from about age 1 to 2
the stage in speech development during which a child speaks mostly in single words

8. Stages of Language 3. Two-Word Stage beginning about age 2
the stage in speech development during which a child speaks mostly two-word statements
4. Telegraphic Speech
early speech stage in which the child speaks like a telegram – “go car” – using mostly nouns and verbs and omitting “auxiliary” words

9. Language Summary Summary of Language Development Month (approximate)
Stage 4 10 12 24
24+
Babbles many speech sounds.
Babbling reveals households
language.
One-word stage.
Two-world, telegraphic speech.
Language develops rapidly into
Complete sentences.

10. Theories of Language Development: B. F. Skinner vs. Noam Chomsky

11. Theory 1: Skinner Believes We Learn Language Through Learning Techniques (Class. Cond., Op. Cond, and Observation)
Tools for learning language according to Skinner:
Association: associate the sight of things with certain sound of words
Imitation: watch models speaking words and syntax and then we imitate them.
Reinforcement: given positive feedback and words of encouragement when we speak correctly.

12. Theory 2: Chomsky Believes Our Brains Are Hardwired With Inborn Universal Grammar.
Language is Enabled by a:
Language Acquisition Device: humans are born with innate abilities to acquire language.
Argued although children do learn the language of their environment, the rate they acquire words and grammar without being taught is too astonishing to be explained purely from external learning principles.

13. Experience Modifies Brain to Learn Native Language
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
Percentage able
to discriminate
Hindi t’s
Hindi-
speaking
adults
6-8
months
8-10
10-12
English-
Infants from English-speaking homes

14. Importance of Early Language Learning
100 90 80 70 60 50
Native
3-7
8-10
11-15
17-39
Percentage
correct on
grammar
test
Age at school

15. Cognitive Neuroscientists: Statistical Learning
Mix between inborn ability and environment
Genes do play a role in language development
Learning during the first 7 years is critical
Learn a new language easiest when younger
When a young brain does not learn any language, its language capacity never fully develops

16. Languages Influence on Thinking
Linguistic Determinism : Benjamin Whorf’s idea that language determines the way we think.
English has many self-focused emotions vs. Japanese which has many words for interpersonal emotions.

17. Language Relativity and Doublespeak
Double-Speak describes when language is used to disguise the actual meaning and possibly mislead people.
Examples:
“Downsizing”=multiple firings of employees.
“Physical Persuasion”=torture
“Collateral Damage”=death of civilians
“Concentration Camp”=labor/death camp

18. Thinking Without Language
There are some ideas in which we do not depend on language.
Ex: Remembering different colors.
What direction do you turn in your driveway when you come home from school?
What direction do you turn a knob to turn water on?
LANGUAGE AFFECTS THINKING AND THINKING AFFECTS LANGUAGE.

19. Animal Thinking and Language
Yes animals think
Count, exhibit insight, use tools, and transmit cultural innovations
Animals also use deception

20. Animal Thinking and Language
Yes animals use language
Chimps have learned 181 different signs
Can form sentences
Human language similar to a 2 year old
Animal language much more sophisticated