PS102 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Adaptation, Cyan, Frontal Lobe
Document Summary
Language and thought are characteristics that distinguish humans from other creatures. Language enables us to communicate in a precise & creative way. Language is a critical component of human behaviour because it greatly facilitates progressive social interactions. Language whether spoken, signed or written is a set of symbols used to communicate. We use these to convey our thoughts & desires to others who share an understanding of the symbols. Language can be divided into 2 main components: language production, language comprehension. The study of speech can be divided into 4 general areas: The smallest units of sound in any language are called phonemes and the study of how sounds are put together to form words is called phonology. E. g. the word tip has three phonemes t, i, p. The # of phonemes differ from language to language; english language 40 phonemes. The language piraha only has 10 phonemes. The smallest units of language that convey meaning or function.
