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26 Apr 2011
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PSYA02H3 Full Course Notes
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PSYA02H3 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary

Language permits us to communicate perceptions, thoughts and memories. Words have meanings (semantics) and they"re arranged into sentences that follow specific rules (syntax). Context plays an important role in the complex task of indentifying individual words from continuous speech. Reading allows words to be transmitted anywhere in the world and to be preserved for future generations. Reading is accomplished by whole word recognition and by decoding the sounds that are represented by letters and groups of letters. Brain damage can acquire dyslexia which involves abnormal development of parts in the left hemisphere that play an important role in language abilities. By the time babies are born, they"ve already learned something about language from what they"ve heard while in their mother"s uteruses. Language is a social behavior; babies learn to carry on conversations with care givers even before they say words and use movements, facial expressions and sounds to communicate.