Language Flashcards
(38 cards)
What is language?
A system of communication comprising symbolic units, shared by users and a joint activity.
How many documented languages are there?
8,324 documented with 7,000 currently spoken
What are the components of a word?
Phoneme; smallest units of sound in human speech.
Syllable; smallest units of pronunciation in human speech.
How many phonemes do we need to understand speech?
20 phonemes per second
What is VOT?
Voice Onset Tine
delay between vocal tract closing and cords vibrating.
repeatedly played /ba/
will perceive as /pa/ at shorter onset time.
What are morphemes?
The smallest unit of meaning
What are the different types of morphemes?
Inflection morphemes change the grammatical function of the stem word.
e.g
elephant–>elephantS
bake–>bakeD
Derivational morphemes create a new word of a different grammatical class from the stem.
e.g
Bake–>BakeR
Archer–>Archery
Define; Lexicon, Semantics, Syntax and Grammar
Lexicon; group of (known) words.
Semantics; meaning (not just of words)
Syntax; rules of sentence structure
Grammar; how words change form and combine.
How do the Cohort and TRACE models explain word recognition?
Cohort Model:
Uses bottom-up info only (actual sounds heard).
Activates words that match the first sounds (e.g., “ca–” → cat, car, castle).
Narrows down as more sound is heard.
No context used.
TRACE Model:
Uses bottom-up info.
Includes context to influence word choice.
Models how brain areas excite/inhibit each other during recognition.
What is the N400 ERP and what does it tell us about word meaning?
N400: A brain signal that peaks 400ms after a word.
It’s larger when a word violates meaning expectations.
Shows the brain uses context to predict and understand language.
How do the Garden Path and Constraint-Based models explain sentence parsing?
Garden Path Model:
Syntax processed first; meaning comes after.
Sentences can lead you down a “wrong path” (e.g., “The horse raced past the barn fell”).
Constraint-Based Model:
Syntax and meaning processed together.
Uses all cues (word meaning, context) from the start.
What does the P600 ERP component reflect in language processing?
A positive EEG signal ~600ms after a word is read/heard.
Linked to syntactic processing, especially ungrammatical sentences.
May reflect a second-pass reanalysis of confusing or ambiguous syntax.
Who was responsible for coining P600 for larger incorrect sentences?
Hagoort and Brown
What is aphasia?
Impairment to or loss of ability to comprehend or produce spoken or written language.
First reported in 19th century.
Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas
Broca’s area (production)
-Expressive aphasia
-understand info but cant express it.
Wernicke’s area (comprehension)
-Receptive aphasia
-Don’t understand but can express.
What are the brain pathways in spoken language processing?
Dorsal; sound-to-articulation.
(contains Broca’s area)
Ventral; sound-to-meaning. (fundamental processing of sounds).
EEG rhythms
Beta; eyes open
Alpha; eyes closed
Theta; meditation + attention
Delta; sleep
What is language acquisition?
The process of learning to understand and use language, typically starting in infancy but possible throughout life.
What is a critical period in development?
A time during which development must occur before the window closes permanently.
How is language represented in the human brain?
It is lateralized, primarily in the left hemisphere.
What did Lenneberg’s (1967) “equipotentiality hypothesis” suggest?
Children with left hemisphere damage recover language better than adults, suggesting early brain flexibility.
What is hemidecortication, and what does it reveal?
A surgery for severe epilepsy that shows children’s brains can reorganize language functions if done early.
What is infant-directed speech (IDS)?
Speech directed at babies with prosodic and rhythmic differences, like pitch variation and stress emphasis.
What did Eimas et al. (1971) find about infant phoneme perception?
Even at 1 month old, infants show adult-like categorical perception of phoneme boundaries (e.g., /ba/ vs. /pa/).
