PSYC 1001 Chapter 8: Chapter 8
12 Dec 2015
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Document Summary
Language: consists of symbols that convey meaning, plus rules for combining those symbols, that can be used to generate an infinite variety of messages. Symbolic spoken sounds and written combinations of letters to represent things, actions, and ideas. Generative limited number of symbols can be combined in a nearly infinite number of ways. Structured infinite number of sentences, but they must follow certain rules to be meaningful. 50,000 in english, root words, prefixes, suffixes. Semantics = meaning of words and word combinations. Syntax = a system of rules for arranging words into sentences. Phonemes = smallest speech units - sounds. 2 months selective attention to speech sounds. 6 months babbling sounds begin to resemble surrounding language. Human babies are well prepared to acquire language. Some people suggest that babies can communicate before they have the capacity to speak. They show hand gestures that are similar to symbols from. American sign language (als) more than 20% of the time.
