1. Chapter 8 Language and Thought
A.P. Psychology
Chapter 8
Language and Thought

2. Language vs. Speech Language Speech
made up of socially shared rules that include the following:
What words mean
How to make new words
How to put words together
What word combinations are best in what situations
Speech
the verbal means of communicating
consists of the following:
Articulation
How speech sounds are made
Voice
Use of the vocal folds and breathing to produce
Fluency
The rhythm of speech

3. Language vs. Speech Disorders
Language Disorders
Speech Disorders
Receptive Language
understanding others
Expressive Language
sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings completely
a person cannot produce speech sounds correctly or fluently
A person has problems with his or her voice

4. Language Structure Language
Consists of symbols that convey meaning, plus rules for combining those symbols to create messages
Phonemes
Smallest speech units – there are about 40
Includes the 26 letters of the alphabet
Morphemes
Smallest units of meaning in language
Root words, prefixes, suffixes
Semantics
Meaning of words & word combinations
Denotation – dictionary definition
Connotation – emotional overtones & secondary implications
Syntax
Rules that specify how words are arranged into sentences

5. Phonetic Alphabet

7. Milestones in Language Development
First 6 Months
Communication through crying, cooing & laughter
Babbling & repetitive sounds “ba, ba, ba” “la, la, la”
10 – 13 Months
Sounds increasingly resemble words
Mama, papa, dada
13 – 18 Months
Vocabulary of 3 to 50 words (mostly objects)
Comprehension is much greater than production of speech
18 – 24 Months
Vocabulary Spurt – up to 20 more words per week
Fast Mapping – map a word to an underlying concept after only one exposure

8. Milestones in Language Development
2 – 3 Years
Children turn words into sentences
Telegraphic Speech  use mainly content words (articles, prepositions & less critical words are omitted)
3 yr olds – should be able to use plurals & past tense
Overregularizations – grammar rules are incorrectly generalized
4 – 5 Years
Largest strides in language development happen here
Metalinguistic Awareness  ability to reflect upon the use of language