Post on 16-Apr-2018
transcript
Language
(…andalsoDevelopment:Preview,ifwehavetime)
Prof.KodyMankeCarnegieMellonUniversity
November8th,2016
§ Structureanduseoflanguage
§ Stagesoflanguagedevelopment
§ Howlanguagedevelops
§ Nature,nurture,andcriticalperiods
§ Languageandthebrain
§ Therelationshipbetweenthinkingandlanguage
Today’stopicsinclude…
LANGUAGE:Definitions§ Language
§ Useofsymbolstorepresent,transmit,andstoremeaning/information.
§ Symbols§ Organizedpatternsofsounds,visualrepresentations,andmovements.
§ Meaning§ Concepts,quantities,plans,identity,feelings,ideas,facts,andcustoms.
Ѭ
Language:whyisitgreat?
§ Wecanhearaboutandunderstandphenomenawehaveneverexperienced.
§ Wecanconnecttopeoplefaraway.
§ Wecanmakeplansandhaveotherscarrythemout.
§ Wecanknowwhatanotherpersonisthinkingmoredirectlythanjustbyobservingtheirbehavior.
§ Wecanstoreinformation.
Language:what’sitmadeof?
§ Phonemes: smallestunitsofsound(vowelsandconsonants).
§ Morphemes:unitsofmeaning,i.e.wordsandmeaningfulpartsofwordssuchassuffixes,prefixes).
§ Grammar:rulesforusingwords,includingsemantics,definitions,connotations,andsyntax
JabberwockyByLewisCarroll
’Twas brillig,andtheslithy tovesDidgyreandgimble inthewabe:
Allmimsy weretheborogoves,Andthemome raths outgrabe.
“BewaretheJabberwock,myson!Thejawsthatbite,theclawsthatcatch!
BewaretheJubjub bird,andshunThefrumious Bandersnatch!”
Hetookhisvorpal swordinhand;Longtimethemanxome foehesought—
SorestedhebytheTumtum treeAndstoodawhileinthought.
And,asinuffish thoughthestood,TheJabberwock,witheyesofflame,
Camewhifflingthroughthetulgey wood,Andburbledasitcame!
One,two!One,two!AndthroughandthroughThevorpal bladewentsnicker-snack!
Heleftitdead,andwithitsheadHewentgalumphingback.
“AndhastthouslaintheJabberwock?Cometomyarms,mybeamishboy!
Ofrabjous day!Callooh!Callay!”Hechortledinhisjoy.
’Twas brillig,andtheslithy tovesDidgyreandgimble inthewabe:
Allmimsy weretheborogoves,Andthemome raths outgrabe.
Language:Howdowelearnit?• Weacquiretheuseof10newwordsperday(onaverage)betweenages2and18
• Childrenlearnthebasicgrammaroflanguagebeforetheycanadd2+2
• Researchsuggeststhatbabiesarelearningthenamesofcommonwordsat6months
Age(months) Stage0-4monthsInfantis
(“notspeaking”)
Receptivelanguage:associatingsoundswithfacialmovements,andrecognizingwhensoundsarebrokenintowords
4months Productivelanguage:babblinginmultilingualsoundsandgestures
10months Babblingsoundsmoreliketheparents’/household’slanguage
LanguageStages
Age(months) Stage0-4monthsInfantis
(“notspeaking”)
Receptivelanguage:associatingsoundswithfacialmovements,andrecognizingwhensoundsarebrokenintowords
4months Productivelanguage:babblinginmultilingualsoundsandgestures
10months Babblingsoundsmoreliketheparents’/household’slanguage
12months One-wordstage:understandingandbeginningtosaymanynouns
LanguageStages
Age(months) Stage0-4monthsInfantis
(“notspeaking”)
Receptivelanguage:associatingsoundswithfacialmovements,andrecognizingwhensoundsarebrokenintowords
4months Productivelanguage:babblinginmultilingualsoundsandgestures
10months Babblingsoundsmoreliketheparents’/household’slanguage
12months One-wordstage:understandingandbeginningtosaymanynouns
18-24months Two-word,“telegraphic”speech:addingverbs,andmakingsentencesbutmissingwords(“Seebird!Readbook?Gopark!”)
LanguageStages
Age(months) Stage0-4monthsInfantis
(“notspeaking”)
Receptivelanguage:associatingsoundswithfacialmovements,andrecognizingwhensoundsarebrokenintowords
4months Productivelanguage:babblinginmultilingualsoundsandgestures
10months Babblingsoundsmoreliketheparents’/household’slanguage
12months One-wordstage:understandingandbeginningtosaymanynouns
18-24months Two-word,“telegraphic”speech:addingverbs,andmakingsentencesbutmissingwords(“Seebird!Readbook?Gopark!”)
24+months,2+years
Speakingfullsentencesandunderstandingcomplexsentences
LanguageStages
CriticalPeriods
• Istheabilitytoacquirelanguagebiologicallylinkedtoage?
• Criticalperiods:claimthatthereisanidealtimewindowtoacquirelanguageinalinguisticallyrichenvironment,afterwhichfurtherlanguageacquisitionbecomesmuchmoredifficultandeffortful
Accordingtoonestudywithimmigrants,beginningalanguagelatermadeithardertolearnthepronunciationandthegrammarofthesecondlanguage.
CriticalPeriods• Genie:Anabandonedchildfoundwhenshewas13
• Importanttobeginappropriatelanguageexposure/educationearlysothatlanguagecentersofthebraincontinuetodevelop
• Ifnotbegunbyage7,languagemightneverdevelop
Language:LessonsfromBrainDamage
• Aphasia: animpairmentintheabilitytoproduceorunderstandlanguage
• Usuallycausedbydamagetothebrain
• Caninclude:
– abilitytospeakbutnotread– abilitytoproducewordsinsongbutnotinconversation,andtospeakbutnotrepeat
– producingwordsinjumbledorder
Broca’s area
DamagetoBroca’s arealeadstodifficultyinputtingwordstogetherinsentencesorevenspeakingsinglewords,althougha
personcansingasong.
Language:LessonsfromBrainDamage
Wernicke’sarea
DamagetoWernicke’sarealeadstodifficultycomprehendingspeechandproducingcoherentspeech(noteasilymonitoringone’s
ownspeechtomakesureitmakessense).
Broca’s area
Language:LessonsfromBrainDamage
Let’spracticeforthinkinglikewe’retakinganexam…
ItturnsoutthatpeoplewithWernicke’saphasiaandpeoplewithBroca’s aphasiabothhaveaverydifficulttimerepeatingbacksomethinganotherpersonsaystothem.
Whywouldapersonwitheachtypeofaphasiahavedifficultyrepeatingsomeoneelse’sspokenwords?
LanguageInfluencesThought
• Linguisticdeterminism:theideathatourspecificlanguagedetermineshowwethink
• BenjaminWhorfandtheHopi
• Canyouthinkaboutsomethingthatyoudonothaveanamefor?Ifso,doesthatdisprovelinguisticdeterminism?
LanguageInfluencesThought
ColorPerception• Nativelanguageusedtoclassifyandtoremembercolors
• Differentlanguagesmayvaryinseparationbetween“blue”and“green,”ormaynothaveseparatewordsforthesecolors
LanguageInfluencesThoughtGenderandLanguage
§ ChestnutandMarkman study
§ Subject-complementstructure
§ “MymommetJustinBieber”v.“JustinBiebermetmymom”
§ Girlsandboysmathabilities
§ Placinggirlsassubjectincreasedendorsementofstereotype
LanguageInfluencesThoughtThe“bilingualadvantage”
• Bilingualpeoplebuildnumerousbrainconnectionsandneuralnetworks
• Hiddentalent:abilitytosuppressonelanguagewhilelearninganother
• Thisabilitytendstogoalongwithotherformsofexecutivecontrol,suchasresistingdistractionandinhibitingimpulses
ButThoughtAlsoInfluencesLanguage?!
Complexity
• Lewis&Frank(2016)study
• Arbitraryrelationshipbetweensoundsofwordsandtheirmeaning
• Isahorseanythingliketheword“horse”?
• Aretheformsofwords(e.g.,wordlength)systematicallyrelatedtotheirmeaning?
• Inotherwords…arecomplicatedconceptsrepresentedbycomplicatedwords?
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
afrik
aans
alba
nian
arab
icar
man
ian
azer
baija
niba
sque
bela
rusi
anbe
ngal
ibo
snia
nbu
lgar
ian
cata
lan
cebu
ana
chin
ese
croa
tian
czec
hda
nish
dutc
hen
glis
hes
pern
toes
toni
anfil
ipin
ofin
nish
frenc
hga
licia
nge
orgi
ange
rman
gree
kgu
jara
tiha
itian
.cre
ole
haus
ahe
brew
hind
ihm
ong
hung
aria
nic
elan
dic
igbo
indo
nesi
aniri
shita
lian
japa
nese
java
nese
kana
dakh
mer
kore
an lao
latin
latv
ian
lithu
ania
nm
aced
onia
nm
alay
mal
tese
mao
rim
arat
him
ongo
lian
nepa
lino
rweg
ian
pers
ian
polis
hpo
rtugu
ese
punj
abi
rom
ania
nru
ssia
nse
rbia
nsl
ovak
slov
enia
nso
mal
isp
anis
hsw
ahili
swed
ish
tam
ilte
lugu thai
turk
ish
ukra
nian
urdu
viet
nam
ese
wels
hyi
ddis
hyo
ruba
zulu
Language
Pear
son'
s r
Alabstudyisniceandall…butwhataboutinnaturallanguage?
LanguageandThought…InfluenceOneAnother
Emotions
• Japanesehasmanyextrawordsforinterpersonalemotionssuchassympathyandempathy,whichAmericansmighthavetroubledifferentiating.
• Englishhasmanywordsforself-focusedemotions(e.g.,sadness)