Language development Flashcards
define communication
The transmission of information between the source and a receiver using a signalling system
define language
The comprehension and use of words and sentences to convey ideas and information, which can be spoken, written or signed
is language uniquely human
Debated- animals e.g. apes often able to understand symbols to represent words
what are the components of language that are unique to humans
phonology
syntax
semantics
pragmatics
define phonology
the interpretation of speech sounds in a particular language
define syntax
the structure of sentences
define semantics
concerned with meaning
define pragmatics
appropriate and effective communication
define phoneme
A phoneme is the smallest unit that, when changed, changes the meaning of a word
define phonetics
the production and perception of speech sounds in any language, concerned with the acoustics and articulation of those sounds
define phone
a speech sound
what is the IPA
the major as well as the oldest representative organisation for phoneticians
what is a word
An arbitrary signal that refers to a particular concept
what is form
the sound of the words
what is semantics often concerned with
context of words
what is morphology
structure of a given language’s morphemes
what is a morpheme
smallest unit of linguistic meaning or function
what is whole object constraint
Words refer to whole object rather than parts of object
what is shape bias
Generalise to other objects that are the same shape, rather than other attributes
What is Gleitman’s syntactic boot-strapping hypothesis
Extract meanings of new words from syntactic clues
what are the three key aspects of pragmatics
Using language for different purposes
Changing language according to the needs of a listener or situation
Following rules for conversations and storytelling
when does language comprehension begin
6 months
what can children 4+ years understand
jokes, riddles and double meaning
when is the first word usually produced
10-12 months
