language

Question 1

what are the three basic components of language?

Answer 1

-phonemes
-morphemes
-gramma

Question 2

what is a phoneme?

Answer 2

a basic speech sound

Question 3

what is a morpheme?

Answer 3

smallest component of speech that carries meaning (ex. whole words; prefixes; suffixes)

Question 4

what is grammar?

Answer 4

combining morphemes into phrases and sentences using rules

Question 5

what is production of language?

Answer 5

the ability to use language

Question 6

what is comprehension of language?

Answer 6

the ability to understand language

Question 7

which develops first, comprehension or production?

Answer 7

comprehension develops before production

Question 8

what is babbling and when does it occur?

Answer 8

-occurs at 4-6 months
-experimentation w/sounds of language
-production of phonemes
-no gramma rules
-repetition
- babies who use ASL still babble

Question 9

do animals babble?

Answer 9

yes, evidence in birds, monkeys, bats

Question 10

when do babies say their first words?

Answer 10

10-12 months

Question 11

when do babies reach a vocab of 30-50 words?

Answer 11

18 months

Question 12

when do babies begin the use of basic grammar?

Answer 12

18-24 months

Question 13

when is the sensitive period for language learning?

Answer 13

7 months in utero-6 years
-important and critical to get language exposure (makes learning easier)

Question 14

how do we know that the sensitive period begins before birth?

Answer 14

-hearing by 30 weeks gestational age

Question 15

what happens if there is a lack of exposure?

Answer 15

feral children (ex. Genie and Oxana; grew up around dogs after being forgotten by parents, she barks and walks on all 4s)

Question 16

what are the 3 theories of language development?

Answer 16

-behaviorist
-nativist
-interactionist

Question 17

what is the behaviorist theory?

Answer 17

-this theory says that language learning occurs through operant conditioning
-problems w/theory: grammar rules not actively taught and children generate novel sentences

Question 18

what is the nativist theory?

Answer 18

-says that language learning is an innate capacity (chomsky)
-evidence of theory: genetic dysphasia (inability to learn grammar) and feral children (some still able to learn to a certain extent)

Question 19

what is the interactionist theory?

Answer 19

-interaction of innate ability and social interaction
-nativism alone doesn’t explain how language develops

Question 20

what are the 3 language disorders we discussed in lecture?

Answer 20

-aphasias
-stuttering
-dyslexia

Question 21

what is aphasia and the types?

Answer 21

aphasia: loss of ability to speak or understand language
-broca’s aphasia is expressive and causes production problems
-wernicke’s aphasia is receptive and causes comprehension problems
-anomic aphasia is problems finding words, especially words of actions
-results from damage to left hemisphere

Question 22

what is stuttering?

Answer 22

stuttering: disruptions in flow of speech
-repetition
-prolongation of sounds
-blocks
-can vary by context/by person

Question 23

what is dyslexia?

Answer 23

dyslexia: difficulty w/reading
-classifed as a learning disorder
-not associated w/intelligence level
-genetic predispositon

Question 24

what are some problems people w/dyslexia may have?

Answer 24

-writing and spelling words
-reading quickly
-pronouncing words when reading aloud
-understanding what one reads
-difficulty distingusing between similar-sounding phonemes

Question 25

what is knowledge

Answer 25

the entire body of information acquired through study, investigation, observation, and experience