Language and Thought
Language and thought
● Language is spoken, written, or signed words and the ways they are
combined to communicate meaning.
● Grammar is a system of rules for deriving meaning from sounds and for
ordering words into sentences.
● Syntax refers to the correct arrangement of words into sensible sentences.
Language acquisition and development
● Receptive language is the ability to comprehend the meaning of speech.
○ Example: A 5-month-old might be able to recognize differences in
speech sounds and even read lips.
● The beginning of babies' receptive language development is best illustrated
by their capacity to match another person's distinctive mouth movements
with the appropriate sounds.
● Babbling is the spontaneous utterance of a variety of sounds by infants.
● During the earliest stage of speech development, infants make some speech
sounds that do not occur in their parent’s native language.
○ By about 10 months, the infant’s babbling has changed so that a
trained ear can identify the household language.
● Research suggests that humans can most easily master the grammar of a
second language during childhood.
○ Those who have not been exposed to language by age 7 lose their
ability to master any language.
The brain and language
● Aphasia refers to a condition involving the impairment of language.
Language and thought
● Language is spoken, written, or signed words and the ways they are
combined to communicate meaning.
● Grammar is a system of rules for deriving meaning from sounds and for
ordering words into sentences.
● Syntax refers to the correct arrangement of words into sensible sentences.
Language acquisition and development
● Receptive language is the ability to comprehend the meaning of speech.
○ Example: A 5-month-old might be able to recognize differences in
speech sounds and even read lips.
● The beginning of babies' receptive language development is best illustrated
by their capacity to match another person's distinctive mouth movements
with the appropriate sounds.
● Babbling is the spontaneous utterance of a variety of sounds by infants.
● During the earliest stage of speech development, infants make some speech
sounds that do not occur in their parent’s native language.
○ By about 10 months, the infant’s babbling has changed so that a
trained ear can identify the household language.
● Research suggests that humans can most easily master the grammar of a
second language during childhood.
○ Those who have not been exposed to language by age 7 lose their
ability to master any language.
The brain and language
● Aphasia refers to a condition involving the impairment of language.
