Language

What is language: a symbolic rule-based system of communication shared by a community

Question: can one person have language?

Language

Our spoken written or gestured words and the way we combine them to communicate meaning.

This communication is a form of language!!!

Elelments of Language Phonology - basic phonemes (sounds)

Phoneme :smallest unit of speech or sound

Chug has three phonemes, ch, u, g.There are 43 sounds in the English Language

Morphology - rules for word formation

Morpheme: smallest meaningful unit of language

walk, walk-ed, learn, un-learn Syntax - rules for combining words to form phrases and

sentencesThe small boy rode a large bike, or, Bike large rode boy small?

The set of rules by which we derive meaning in a language. (The study of meaning or extracting meaning from words)

Adding ed at the end of words means past tense.

Crash can mean auto accident, a drop in the Stock Market, to attend a party without being invited, ocean waves hitting the shore or the sound of a cymbals being struck together.

Semantics

Semantics

The Chinese languages do not have expansive semantic rules. They usually have totally different symbols for different tenses.

Grammar

A system of rules in a language that enables us to communicate and understand others.

Properties of language

1. Arbitrariness: fundamental units of language have arbitrary relationship to what they represent e.g. dog =

2. Generativity = from a set of finite fundamental units, infinite meaning is possible (you can make up any sentence, and we will understand you)

3. Generational transmission: passed on from one generation to the next

Properties of language

4. Displacement: can communicate about ideas not in the here and now

5. Semanticity: meaningfulness drives all communication

Language Acquisition

Stages that we learn language…1. Babbling Stage- 2 to 12

months2. Holophrastic Stage (one

word stage)3. Telegraphic Speech

Stage- 2 to 3 years*After the telegraphic stage

we get overgeneralization. Development is complete, but vocabulary is limited.

Social Learning Theory

B.F. Skinner from the Behaviorist School. His theory is called Operant conditioning.•Baby may imitate a parent.•If they are reinforced they keep saying the word.•If they are punished, they stop saying the word.

Chomsky’s Theory (nativist theory) We learn language too quickly for

it to be through reinforcement and punishment.

Inborn universal language acquisition device

Did not totally discount Skinner Theory does fit common

language aquistion for all groups of people

Whorf’s Linguistic Relativity

The idea that language determines the way we think.

The Hopi tribe has no past tense in their language, so Whorf says they rarely think of the past.

Studies in Animal Language

A number of species have been studies: dolphins, parrots, whales, etc

Most studies have involved nonhuman apes: Chimpanzees, Gorillas, Bonobos

Why: close relatives of humans, big brains, highly social

History of Ape language studies

Cross-fostering: raising an ape as a human baby

1950’s Keith and Cathy Hayes: Viki project, teaching a chimpanzee to speak. Big disaster.

Beatrix and Alan Gardner: Washoe project, teaching an ape sign language

History of Ape language studies

Francine Patterson and Koko: A gorilla learns sign language

Herb Terrace and Nim Chimpsky

History of Ape language studies

Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and the bonobo Kanzi

Koko

A sad Koko gets a visit from Robin Williams to cheer her up.

Koko hears of Robin Williams’ Death