Language and Thought (Chapter 9) Flashcards
Language
System for communicating with others using signals that are combined according to rules of grammar and that convey meaning
Grammar
Set of rules that specify how the units of language can be combined to produce meaningful messages
Human language (is unique because)
We have words representing intangible things
Phonemes
Smallest distinctive sound units in language (40-44 in English language)
Morphemes
Smallest language unit that carry meaning
Behaviorist explanations for language
It is easily learned through operant conditioning and imitation
Nativist explanations for language
Language is innate, humans have universal grammar: collection of processes that facilitate language learning
Interactionist explanations for language
Social interactions play a crucial role in language, along with innate language abilities
Broca’s area
Controls language expression—an area of the left frontal lobe
Wernicke’s area
Controls language reception —involved in language comprehension; left temporal lobe
Linguistic relativity
Structure of a language affects its speakers’ worldview or cognition, and thus people’s perceptions are relative to their spoken language
Cognition
The mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, judging, problem solving, and remembering.
Concepts
Mental category that groups objects, activities, abstractions, or qualities having a common properties
Mental image
A representation in the mind that mirrors or resembles the thing it represents
Prototype
A typical best example or cognitive representation of something within a certain category