Elements and Structure of Language.


Elements and Structure of Language.

What is language, and how is it structured? 

• Language - a system for combining symbols (such as words) so that an unlimited number of meaningful statements can be made for the purpose of communicating with others.  
• Grammar - the system of rules governing the structure and use a of language.
• Syntax - the system of rules for combining words and phrases to form grammatically correct sentences. 
• Morphemes - the smallest units of meaning within a language. – Semantics - the rules for determining the meaning of words and sentences.
• Phonemes - the basic units of sound in language. 
• Pragmatics - aspects of language involving the practical ways of communicating with others, or the social “niceties” of language

How are language and thought related?

 Language and Cognition 

• Cognitive universalism – theory that concepts are universal and influence the development of language. 
• Jean Piaget believed that concepts precede and aid the development of language. 
• Lev Vygotsky believed that language helps develop concepts and can help the child learn to control behavior. 
• Recent studies suggest that thought concepts are universal and not actually shaped by language. 

The theory of cognitive universalism holds that concepts are universal and influence the development of language. 

Animal Language
 • There have been attempts to teach animals how to use sign language; however, none of these animals can compare with the level of language development of a 3-year-old human. • Studies have been somewhat successful in demonstrating that animals can develop a basic kind of language, including some abstract ideas. 

How is language acquired? 
Stages of Language Development 
• 2 months old - cooing (producing vowel sounds). • 6 months old - babbling (creating consonant sounds). • 1 year old - holophrases (single words meant to represent entire phrases of meaning). • 18 months old - grouping words together in short sentences. • 6 years old - as fluent as an adult but with limited vocabulary. 

What are the theories of language acquisition? 

Language Acquisition • Language acquisition device (LAD) - born with an ability to understand and learn how to speak language. • Environmental factors, such as an adult's tone toward a child, also influence language acquisition. • Noam Chomsky argued that language is an innate part of human nature. Real-world evidence supports this theory. 

Which parts of the brain are associated with language, and how does brain damage affect language?

 Language and the Brain  Broca’s Area: area in the left frontal lobe of the brain devoted to the production and articulation of speech. Damage to this area causes an inability to get words out in a connected fashion.  Broca's aphasia - condition resulting from damage to Broca's area, causing the affected person to be unable to speak fluently, to mispronounce words, and to speak haltingly.  Wernicke’s Area: area in the left temporal lobe involved in comprehending the meaning of words. Damage to this area (Wernicke’s aphasia) causes a person to speak fluently but use the wrong words.  Wernicke's aphasia - condition resulting from damage to Wernicke's area, caus

 We begin by offering a sketch of the evidence that natural sign languages have grammatical structures comparable to those of spoken languages. First we examine the structure of the sentence (syntax), and then we move to The structure of the smaller units of language, those that may be compared to the meaningless but identifiable sounds of speech (phonology). We will end with a discussion of the structure of words (morphology).

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