Language - Chp. 12

Question 1

Larynx?

Answer 1

The proportion of the upper respiratory tract that lies between the trachea and the pharynx.

Question 2

Formants?

Answer 2

One of several frequencies that represent the natural resonances of different components of the vocal tract.

Question 3

Source-filter Model?

Answer 3

A generally accepted model for the production of speech sound stimuli that entails the vocal-fold vibrations as a source and the rest of the vocal tract as a dynamic filter.

The Source-Filter Model explains how speech sounds are made. It says that:

1. The source is the vibration of your vocal cords (like when you’re talking or singing).
2. The filter is the rest of your mouth and throat (your vocal tract), which shapes the sound.

So, the vocal cords create the basic sound, and the mouth and throat change that sound to form different speech sounds, like vowels and consonants.

Question 4

Voiced?

Answer 4

Pertaining to a speech sound stimulus characterize by laryngeal harmonics, typically a vowel sound.

Question 5

Phone?

Answer 5

One of about 200 different sound stimuli the human vocal apparatus can produce. A subset of these is used in any given spoken language. Approximately 40 in the English language.

Question 6

Phoneme?

Answer 6

The basic perceptual unit that distinguishes one utterance from another in a given language.

Question 7

Vowel?

Answer 7

Typically a voiced (tonal) element of speech that forms the nucleus of syllables.

Question 8

Consonant?

Answer 8

Typically an unvoiced (atonal) element of speech that begins and/or ends syllables.

Question 9

Tonal?

Answer 9

Pertaining to a sound stimulus that, by virtue of its periodic repetition, produced the perception of tone.

Question 10

Grammar?

Answer 10

The system of rules implicit in language.

Question 11

Syntax?

Answer 11

The way in which words are combined to form sentences or phrases.

Question 12

McGurk Effect?

Answer 12

The misperception of speech sounds due to conflicting visual stimuli.

Question 13

Connectionist?

Answer 13

Pertaining to the connectivity of neural networks whose connection weights vary according to experience.

Question 14

Neural Networks?

Answer 14

Typically refers to artificial network of interconnected noses whose connections change in strength as a means of solving problems. Can also be used as a synonym for a neuronal circuit.

Question 15

Aphasia?

Answer 15

A language deficit that arises from damage to one of the cortical language areas, typically in the left hemisphere?

Question 16

Broca’s Aphasia?

Answer 16

Also called motor aphasia or production aphasia. A language deficit arising from damage to Broca’s area in the frontal lobe and characterized by difficulty in the production of speech.

Question 17

Broca’s Area?

Answer 17

An area in the ventral posterior region on the left frontal lobe that helps mediate language expression; named after the nineteenth-century anatomist and neurologist Paul Broca.

Question 18

Wernicke’s Aphasia?

Answer 18

Also called receptive aphasia or sensory aphasia. A language deficit arising from damage to Wernicke’s area in the posterior temporal lobe and characterized by an inability to link objects or ideas and the words that signify them and to the subjectively comprehend this relationship.

Question 19

Wernicke’s Area?

Answer 19

An area in the cortex in the superior and posterior region of the left temporal lobe that helps mediate language comprehension; named after nineteenth-century neurologist & psychiatrist Carl Wernicke.

Question 20

Split-brain Patient?

Answer 20

An individual whose corpus callosum has been surgically interrupted as a treatment for epilepsy, functionally separating the left and right hemispheres.

Question 21

Prosodic?

Answer 21

Pertaining to the inflection of speech, often associated with emotion.

Question 22

Aprosodias?

Answer 22

The inability to inflect speech with the usual emotional color that the right hemisphere typically contributes to language. Characterized by monotonic or “robotic” speech pattern.

Question 23

Morphology?

Answer 23

The study of words and parts of words.

Question 24

Language vs Speech Disorders?

Answer 24

• Language = deficit in symbolic representation.
• Speech = related to motor planning and execution.

Question 25

Dysarthria?

Answer 25

A generalized speech disorder derived from damage to a variety of brain structures involved in executing motion.

Question 26

Speech Apraxia?

Answer 26

A motor planning and organization of speech musculature.

Question 27

What two areas are involved in initiating and stopping speech?

Answer 27

- SMA - pre-SMA

Question 28

Paraphasias?

Answer 28

Errors in language production due to deficits in phonology.

Question 29

Conduction Aphasia?

Answer 29

The connection between Broca's and Wernicke's area (arcuate fasciculus) is lost. Patients with this lesion cannot repeat words.

Question 30

Dual-stream Model of Speech?

Answer 30

Dorsal and ventral streams. Dorsal = production, left lateralized. Ventral = comprehensive, bilateral. The ventral stream is like the part of your brain that helps you understand the words someone is saying. The dorsal stream is like the part of your brain that helps you respond to the speech or figure out how to speak yourself.

Question 31

Explain the Dual Stream Model of Speech processing, describing the roles of the ventral and dorsal streams.

Answer 31

The Dual Stream Model of Speech proposes that speech processing occurs through two main pathways in the brain: the ventral stream and the dorsal stream, each responsible for different aspects of speech understanding and production. Ventral Stream (The "What" Pathway): The ventral stream is primarily involved in understanding the meaning of speech. It processes speech sounds and links them to their semantic content (the meaning of the words). This pathway is essential for recognizing and comprehending spoken language. The ventral stream connects the auditory cortex to areas like the temporal lobe (specifically the posterior superior temporal gyrus) and the inferior frontal gyrus, which are crucial for word recognition and semantic processing. Dorsal Stream (The "Where" and "How" Pathway): The dorsal stream is involved in processing how speech sounds are produced and how to respond to them. This pathway helps coordinate motor actions necessary for speech production, such as the movement of the mouth and vocal cords. It also aids in understanding where a sound is coming from spatially. The dorsal stream connects the auditory areas to regions like the motor cortex and the parietal cortex, enabling the transformation of auditory information into motor commands for speech production. It plays a role in both articulatory planning and sensorimotor integration.

Question 32

Dual Route of Language Processing?

Answer 32

Two ways: 1.) Phonological route = unfamiliar words. 2.) Direct route = familiar words & irregular words.

Question 33

Surface Dyslexia?

Answer 33

Patients can only use the phonological route. Meaning: - Can read regular & nonwords. - Cannot correctly read irregular words. - Often confuse homophones.

Question 34

Phonological Dyslexia?

Answer 34

Patients can only use the direct route. Meaning: - Can read regular & irregular previously learned words. - Cannot read nonwords or unfamiliar words.

Question 35

Deep Dyslexia?

Answer 35

Patients are impaired at identifying the structure of language but can still access meaning. Meaning: - Can read familiar words, but have issues with nonwords, function words, and morphology. Ex.) Might read "sword" as "duel".