PSYCH207 Lecture Notes - Alex (Parrot), Flowing Tears, Noam Chomsky
20 Aug 2013
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Main characteristics of language: regular rules are enduring, productive infinite combinations of things can be expressed, arbitrariness lack of necessary resemblance between a word or sentence and what it refers to. Meerkats, make weird sounds so there is correspondence between sound and the meaning. But for humans that is different. (distance is tied into sounds: discreetness system can be subdivided into recognizable parts. Koko: can"t really express everything a human can that"s why its not exactly the same, lacks arbitrariness: shows flowing tears when is sad , we don"t. Chaser (dog): we give things names but it is more than that, you can know lots of objects but it doesn"t mean you know language! (her and her toys) she doesn"t generate anything. Elephant: listens to people all the time, then he manipulates his trunk to what they are saying! Phonology: study of sound, smallest unit of sound we can make (mat vs. cat)
