Lecture 1 & 2

Question 1

How many languages are there?

Answer 1

around 7000

Question 2

The scientific study of language

Answer 2

Linguistics

Question 3

Being a speaker of a natural language involves an extensive amount of ___________________.

Answer 3

specialized knowledge

Question 4

What do linguistics try to do?

Answer 4

understand what this knowledge consists of, and to characterize it precisely

Question 5

TRUE OR FALSE? Natural language has hidden structure.

Answer 5

TRUE

Question 6

What is the hidden structure of language called?

Answer 6

grammar

Question 7

Typically children seem to learn languages
____________.

Answer 7

effortlessly

Question 8

How many words do young children learn a day?

Answer 8

10-20 words per day

Question 9

What is the conclusion we made based on the observation: Children fast become competent speakers of their
native languages based on little evidence

Answer 9

Languages (and the process of acquiring them) are significantly constrained by the nature of the human brain

Question 10

What is the bolder hypothesis (controversial) about children learning languages quickly/without being taught?

Answer 10

Children are born with a substantial amount of
intricate knowledge about language

Question 11

Set of innate constraints, shared by all humans, acting on language

Answer 11

Universal grammar

Question 12

Instinctual ≈

Answer 12

biologically determined

Question 13

What are some examples of biologically determined behaviors?

Answer 13

• Honeybee communication
• suckling, chewing, swallowing
• walking

Question 14

What are some examples of Learned, cultural behaviors?

Answer 14

• reading and writing
• cooking
• The way chimps catch termites and ants

Question 15

What does pretty much any complex behavior involve?

Answer 15

a combination of genetic predisposition and
environmental input

Question 16

Is hunting and chasing an instinct or learned?

Answer 16

an instinct

Question 17

Is killing and eating prey an instinct or learned?

Answer 17

Learned

Question 18

Is reading an instinct or learned?

Answer 18

Learned

Question 19

What does the ability to read rely on?

Answer 19

it relies on a number of
innate skills and is
constrained by human brains

Question 20

Can other animals read?

Answer 20

NO!

Question 21

What are observations for universal grammar?

Answer 21

• Children fast become competent speakers of the languages
  around them, going beyond the limited data
• Other animals can’t master human languages

Question 22

What are some necessary conclusions for universal grammar?

Answer 22

• Human brains are different from other animal brains
• Human brains constrain the process of language acquisition
• The set of constraints is often referred to as Universal Grammar

Question 23

What is FLB and FLN?

Answer 23

FLB = faculty of language in the broad sense
FLN = faculty of language in the narrow sense

Question 24

Faculty of language in the narrow sense

Answer 24

The computational system of language, which is used for language production and comprehension. It’s not used for other cognitive or perceptual tasks, and it’s not shared with non-human animals.

Question 25

Faculty of language in the broad sense

Answer 25

Includes the perceptual-articulatory systems for sound and sign, and the conceptual-intentional systems for meaning.

Question 26

- Children exposed to language can’t seem to help acquiring it -Acquiring language seems somewhat “automatic”

Answer 26

Automaticity

Question 27

Who proposed a set of criteria for biologically determined behavior?

Answer 27

Neurologist Eric Lenneberg

Question 28

What is the set of criteria for biologically determined behavior?

Answer 28

* Follows its own schedule * Happens to everybody * No prodding needed

Question 29

What is the schedule of a biologically determined behavior?

Answer 29

* May emerge before needed * Develops in steps or milestones * Must develop during critical period or it won’t develop at all

Question 30

When do you finish learning your native language?

Answer 30

In a sense never * But 5-year olds have surprisingly developed language (main exception: vocabulary size

Question 31

Language develops in _________

Answer 31

steps / milestones

Question 32

____________________ emerges during specific developmental time window

Answer 32

instinctive behavior

Question 33

What happens to critical periods if environmental input is needed?

Answer 33

It has to occur then

Question 34

True or False: Unrelated children raised together treat each other as siblings.

Answer 34

TRUE

Question 35

What is the critical period hypothesis?

Answer 35

Native language has to be acquired before puberty

Question 36

What is evidence for the critical period for language?

Answer 36

* Acquisition complete before puberty (apart from vocabulary) * Brain damage effects vary greatly based on timing * “Feral” children that grow up without linguistic input

Question 37

What may there be multiple critical periods?

Answer 37

* Vocabulary acquisition slows down, but continues throughout life * The period for acquiring a native-sounding accent seems to end particularly early for most people

Question 38

Why do people prefer calling it a "sensitive period" to a "critical period" ?

Answer 38

- There may be multiple critical periods. - Hard to determine precise ages for the end of critical periods - Some people acquire a second language to native- like levels in adulthood

Question 39

Rare Procedure to deal with seizure disorders localized to one half of brain.

Answer 39

Hemispherectomy

Question 40

crucial language-related brain areas in the _______ hemisphere

Answer 40

left

Question 41

What is the typical background of "feral" children?

Answer 41

* Raised by wild animals or psychotic parents. * No exposure to language during critical period. * Little or no language when discovered.

Question 42

What is Genie's story?

Answer 42

* Discovered in LA in 1970 at 13.5 years old * Confined in closet since infancy * Punished for making sounds * Received little linguistic stimulation. * Had strong vocabulary development/ communicative * Able to recount past events * BUT NEVER ACQUIRED ANY REAL SYNTAX