PSY 324 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Noam Chomsky, Language Development, Phonological Development
Document Summary
Overview language: a flexible communication system made consisting of words or symbols, meanings, and structure. Main components: phonology: the structure and sequence of speech sounds, semantics: the way concepts are expressed in words or symbols. Think of this as vocabulary: syntax: the rules by which words are arranged in sentences. Example: ben pushed the car vs. the car pushed ben: morphology: how words are arranged to form meaning. Morphemes: prefixes, suffixes, root words: pragmatics: rules for engaging in appropriate, effective communication. Example: using language in social situations (eye contact, politeness) Direct: get me a snack. listener gets a snack. Nativist perspective: proposed by noam chomsky, views language as uniquely human, and our brains automatically allow us to convert sounds and symbols into a systematic language, language development due primarily to maturation, evidence: Animals have not acquired language to the extent humans have. Human brain areas dedicated to language: broca"s area and wernicke"s area. Broca"s: production of language, left frontal lobe.
