PSY100Y5 Lecture : psych lec 8.docx
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PSY100Y5 Full Course Notes
Verified Note
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Document Summary
A language is a system of symbols, sounds, meanings, and rules of combination that allows for communication among humans. Phonemes: the smallest units of sound (40 in the english language, represent every sound from vowel ah) Morphemes: the smallest units of meaning (50000, word/letter like s --> unit of meaning, prefix/suffix) Phrases are composed of morphemes (noun + verb) Sentences: strings of morphemes and phrases that express a thought or intention. Gestures (often involving the hands or fingers) 100 basic phonemes - any baby can recognize sound. Words (10 - 13 months) - only sounds exposed can be spoken. B. f. skinner argued that children imitate the utterances of their parents. Skinner suggests that children receive differential reinforcement for speech sounds. The case for nature (nativist) - language acquisition device (lad) Chomksy argued that language acquisition appears to be universal across culture (could not be accounted for by learning)
