Language and thought

Question 1

Phoneme

Answer 1

Smallest unit of sound in language that leads to different meanings in words - “dog” vs “log”

Question 2

Morpheme

Answer 2

Smallest language units that carry meaning

• word
• suffixes
• Prefixes

Question 3

Semantic processing

Answer 3

Relies on processing of content words.
Syntax cues meaning -> semantics
Statement that expresses an idea

Question 4

Syntactic processing

Answer 4

Relies on the processing of function words

Question 5

Syntax

Answer 5

The structure of language -> phrases and sentences
Rules for ordering words are learning implicitly.
Is cued by word order and word class

Question 6

Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 6

The inability to produce or understand language

- Left temporal lobe next to the primary auditory cortex. translates sounds into meaning.

Question 7

Proposition

Answer 7

Statement that expresses an idea

• action-verb
• performers (semantic roles)

Question 8

Surface structure

Answer 8

Organisation of words at a surface level

Question 9

Deep structure

Answer 9

Meaning of sentence

Question 10

One deep structure, two surface structures

Answer 10

Words in two sentences are organised differently but underlying meaning is the same

Question 11

Single surface structure can have two very different deep structures

Answer 11

Words organised the same but meaning of sentence is ambiguous

Question 12

Content morpheme

Answer 12

Carrys meaning, add grammatical function.

“dog’, “food”, “exam”

Question 13

Unbound/free morphemes

Answer 13

Words that can be used on their own, carry meaning.

Question 14

Bound morphemes

Answer 14

Affixes + suffixes
Cannot be used without a word -> doesn’t carry meaning
e.g. plural - s
past tense - ed

Question 15

Closed class words

Answer 15

Category for words that you can’t add new wording to

e.g. she, it, there

Question 16

Open class words

Answer 16

Category for words that you can add to (building blocks)

Question 17

Broca’s Aphasia

Answer 17

The inability to produce and understand language
Located near areas that control speech muscles
Lower edge of frontal lobe.
Affects syntax and grammar.

Question 17

Broca’s Aphasia

Answer 17

The inability to produce and understand language
Located near areas that control speech muscles
Lower edge of frontal lobe.
Affects syntax and grammar.

Question 18

Early infant speech perception

Answer 18

• able to perceive basic phoneme contrasts

- not restricted to the sounds in language

Question 19

Categorical speech perception

Answer 19

Perception of consonant sounds become categorical

Question 20

VOT

Answer 20

Time interval between release of consonant and onset of voicing.
Detection of phonemic change is modified by experience.

Question 21

Older infant speech perception

Answer 21

Categorised by modified experience.

Question 22

Producing speech sounds - infants

Answer 22

Cooing (2), reduplicated babbling (6-7) same syllable, variegated babbling (11-12) syllables with different consonant and vowels

Question 23

Word comprehension vs production

Answer 23

Word comprehension (receptive vocabulary) precedes productive vocabulary by 4 months

Question 24

Vocabulary burst

Answer 24

Major increase in productive vocabulary after first 50 words are learned. 
Why - 
- symbolic nature of language
- control over articulation 
- Easier retrieval

Question 25

Overextension

Answer 25

“dog” to refer to dogs and cats
“moon” for orange, lamp, fingernail etc
the tendency of very young children to extend the use of a word beyond the scope of its specific meaning

Question 26

Under-extension

Answer 26

“dog” only for family dog but no other dogs

the incorrect restriction of the use of a word