PSYCO105 Chapter Notes - Chapter Chapter 9: Language Acquisition, Universal Grammar, Deep Structure And Surface Structure
14 May 2017
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Document Summary
Humans have a remarkable ability to create mental representations : include images, ideas, concepts, and principles. Language : consists of a system of symbols and rules for combining these symbols in ways that can generate an infinite number of possible messages and meanings. Psycholinguistics : the scientific study of the psychological aspects of language, such as how people understand, produce, and acquire language. Time lags (prehistoric times) tell us that human thought and behaviour depend on more that the physical structure of brain - human cognitive/linguistic skills clearly have evolved. Some evolutionists believe that the use of language evolves as people gathered to form larger social units. As social env"t became more complex, new survival problems emerged: need to create divisions of labour and cooperative social systems, to develop social customs and communicate thoughts, and to pass on knowledge and wisdom. Development of language made it easier for humans to adapt to these envt"l demands.
