PS102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Aphasia, On Language, Twin Study
Document Summary
Language: a set of symbols used for communication. Facilitates thinking, problem solving, and decision making. Language production the structured and conventional expression of thoughts through words. Language comprehension the process of understanding spoken, written, or signed language. Phonology the structure of how individual sounds or phonemes are used to produce language. Semantics the study of how meaning in language is constructed of individual words and sentences. Syntax the system for using words (semantics) and word order to convey meaning (grammar) Pragmatics the practical aspects of language usage, including speech pace, gesturing, and body language. Nature: children are genetically programmed at birth to learn language (chomsky: we are born with a language acquisition device in our brains that allows us to easily learn language. Nurture: language is entirely learned (skinner); when babies are given rewards (praise/attention) for a word/sound, they are more likely to repeat the word/sound. Nature and nurture (interactionist perspective): both theories are important.
