Language

Question 1

Categorical Perception

Answer 1

The ability to distinguish between differences in sound that do not denote differences in meaning and those differences in sound that do denote differences in meaning.

Question 2

Semantics

Answer 2

The learning of word meanings

Question 3

Pragmatics

Answer 3

Te actual efficient use of language (e.g., a child must learn to recognize sentences that are identical except for their inflections, which in turn change its meaning)

Question 4

Language Acquisition Timeline

Answer 4

18 months: holophrasis. 18-20 months: begin combining words. 2.5-3 years: begin producing longer sentences. 5 years: language is substantially mastered.

Question 5

Genie Case Study

Answer 5

Subject isolated from humans from age 2-13. Eas able to learn language but not master it. Showed that Chomsky’s “critical period” was not absolute, but rather should be a “sensitive period” where we learn language easier.