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Unit VII: Cognition Part three-LANGUAGE. Language our spoken, written, or gestured works and the way we combine them to communicate meaning http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_pagel_how_language_transformed_humanity.html. Language. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Unit VII: CognitionPart three-LANGUAGE
Language our spoken, written, or gestured
works and the way we combine them to communicate meaning
http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_pagel_how_language_transformed_humanity.html
Language Genes design
the mechanisms for a language, and experience activates them as it modifies the brain
(So is language acquisition nature or nurture?)
Language Phoneme (M, T, Ch, P)
in a spoken language, the smallest distinctive sound unit
Morpheme (I, Re-, Love, So) in a language, the smallest unit that carries
meaning may be a word or a part of a word (such as a
prefix)
Morphemes: How many are there?
people reddish
George’s misspell
redevelopment radish desirability
water
swimming language
education higher
orange grandmother unhappy
finger
liberally waited
remain houseboat
erasable
antidisestablishmentarianism
Language Grammar: (language rules)
a system of rules in a language that enables us to communicate with and understand others
Syntax: (sentence structure) the rules for combining words into
grammatically sensible sentences in a given language
Language Semantics: study of meaning
the set of rules by which we derive meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences in a given language
*When might you use this word in conversation and why?
Language We are all born to recognize speech sounds from all the world’s
languages
100908070605040302010
0
Percentage ableto discriminateHindi t’s
Hindi-speaking
adults
6-8 months
8-10months
10-12months
English-speaking
adultsInfants from English-speaking homes
What does this chart communicate aboutlanguage and nature vs. nurture?
Language 1. Babbling Stage
beginning at 3 to 4 months the stage of speech development in which the
infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household language
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/viral-video-twin-babies-secret-language-13247451
2. One-Word Stage from about age 1 to 2 the stage in speech development during which
a child speaks mostly in single words
Language 3. Two-Word Stage
beginning about age 2 the stage in speech development during
which a child speaks in mostly two-word statements
4. Telegraphic Speech early speech stage in which the child speaks
like a telegram-–“go car”--using mostly nouns and verbs and omitting “auxiliary” words
Create a mnemonic for remembering the (4) stages
LanguageSummary of Language Development
Month(approximate)
Stage
410
12
24
24+
Babbles many speech sounds.
Babbling reveals households language.
One-word stage.
Two-world, telegraphic speech.
Language develops rapidly intocomplete sentences.
http://www.ted.com/talks/deb_roy_the_birth_of_a_word.html
Language
New language learning gets harder with age
100
90
80
70
60
50 Native 3-7 8-10 11-15 17-39
Percentage correct ongrammar test
Age at school
Thinking & Language The interplay
of thought and language:
If we think in words, does a limited vocabulary inhibit our ability to think? Why/how?
Language Linguistic Relativity/Sapir-Whorf
hypothesis: language affects the way we conceptualize the world
Linguistic Determinism: Language determines the way we thinkhttp://youtu.be/ArTPdEWA1_4 (fast-talking student)http://youtu.be/hHQ2756cyD8(Stephen Fry & Hugh Laurie on Language)
Do you agree or disagree? Give a supporting example…All 3s share your thoughts and other table members be ready to share
Linguistic Relativity/Linguistic Determinism
“The limits of your language mean the limits of your world.”Ludwig Wittgenstein
Vocabulary The Inuit (aka Eskimos)
20+ words for snow Fiji Islanders
No words for snow Many words for coconuts
Arabic (not using adjectives, but different words)700 words to describe camels—height, weight, age, color, smell, etc.
More Vocabulary Hawaiians
25-30 different words for tides and waves Surfers-glassy, macking, etc.
Wauroni (S. American tribal people) No word for “work”
New Guinea tribal groups No words for “war”
Hopi Indians A single noun to refer to all flying things and beings (except
for birds) Insects=planes=aviators=superman
More Vocabulary Americans and their love of
cars Types of non-commercial
vehicles/transportation e.g. sedan, convertible,
4WD, hatchback, notchback, truck, pickup truck, SUV, mini-SUV, mini-van, Hummer, single and double-cab pickup, etc.
The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
According to Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, all higher levels of thinking are dependent on language. Language determines thought, which is: linguistic determinism
And...because languages differ in many ways, speakers of different languages perceive and experience the world differently, relative to their linguistic back ground, hence the notion of linguistic relativism.
Linguistic Relativity: It is impossible to learn the language of a different culture unless the learner abandons own mode of thinking and acquires the thought patterns of the native speakers of target language
Arguments against the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis • The speakers of a language with no lexicalized
word for“snow” does not mean that they can not grasp the concept of “snow
• Grammar does not determine understanding
• Morphemes (“s” or no “s”)
• Translation
• Second language acquisition
Animal Thinking and Language
The straight-line part of the dance points in the direction of a nectar source, relative to the sun
Direction ofnectar source
Animal Thinking and Language
Gestured Communication
Animal Thinking and Language
Is this really language?