Topic 4: Language Process. Language Process Human language is unique, complex and flexible: making us (human) more superior than other species form of.

Topic 4: Language Process

Language ProcessHuman language is unique, complex and flexible:

making us (human) more superior than other species form of communication.

distinguishes us from other animals.The use of language in human reflects:

our mental behavior our cognitive ability

Language & Thinking are closely related.

Language Development is important because:

Through language children interactLanguage development very much related to

intellectual developmentThrough language children are able to progress in

other developmental domain.

What is Language?Language can be defined in many ways.Language is……

“a set of (finite and infinate) sentences. Each is finite in length and constructed out of a finite set of elements” (chomsky, 1957)

“a mean of communication, generally through spoken sounds that express specific meanings, and are arranged according to rules”. (Papalia & Olds, 1985)

“an organized system of symbols with meanings that are shared, and are used to communicate”. (Bourne & Mamcy Felipe Russo, 1998)

What is Language?A law of grammar and semantic that makes

conversation more meaningful , i.e. language is a combination of words to communicate a symbolic code used in communication.

A collection of symbols with rules and collectively they can create an infinite variety of messages i.e. a system of symbols and rules that enable us to communicate.

The systematic, meaningful arrangement of symbols according to rules to create a message that has a common meaning for users and recipients.

Covers ways of communication where thoughts and emotions are being expressed in order to convey message/meaning to others

6 Properties of language

1. Communicative – enable people to communicate with each other.

2. Arbitrarily symbolic - Language create an arbitrary relationship between a symbol and its reference, such as things, ideas, process, relationship & description.

3. Regularly structured - Language has a structure, where particular patterns of sounds and letters form meaningful words.

4. Structured at multiple levels – Language structure can be analyzed at more than one level (e.g. in sound, meaning units, words, phrases etc)

5. Generative, Productive – Limitless ability to produce language creatively

6. Dynamic – Language constantly evolves

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

What is Language Acquisition?

A process where one learns language learning a native language (first language) or a second language.

The process of attaining a specific variant of human language.

Learning language occurs throughout an individual’s life span it progress according to individual developmental stages

Language Acquisition, Representation, & ProcessingLanguage acquisition

How is language acquired or learned?

Language representationHow are the symbols of language

represented in memory?

Language processingWhat factors influence the processing of

language?

How are Language Acquisition, Representation, & Processing

Related?

How are Language Acquisition, Representation, & Processing Related?

Language is acquired

How are Language Acquisition, Representation, & Processing Related?

Language is acquired

Acquisition leads to a set of representations

How are Language Acquisition, Representation, & Processing Related?

Language is acquired

Acquisition leads to a set of representations

Language use is the processing of these representations

Language Acquisition

Two types of Language acquisition:First language acquisition

Infants’ acquisition of their native languageSecond language acquisition

Additional languages learned (acquired) by children & adult.

Language Acquisition:First language acquisition

How do we learn our native language? What are the stages this process follows?

How do failures in this process occur?When you’re tired--not just people with

pathologies

Language Acquisition:Language Development

Phonological development—from babbling to full sentences

Semantic developmentWe learn what things mean (semantics) and acquire

concepts

Syntactic development and syntactic categoriesWe learn the syntax of our language (what are

syntactic categories)

Stages of Language Acquisition

Receptive language (language comprehension)Productive language (language expression or speaking)

Cooing (6-8 mths) – mostly vowels sound (aaaa, uuuuu, oooo….)

Babbling (9-18 mths) – comprising of consonant and vowel sounds (BA, MA…)

One-word utterance - (18-24 mths) – limited in both vowels & consonant – single word (BALL, DAD, HIT….)

Two-word utterance and telegraphic speech (24-30 mths) - simple sentence (BAD DOG…).

Basic adult sentence structure (above 30 mths) – building sentence – presence of grammatical and functional structure, and continuing vocabulary acquisition.

Language AcquisitionSecond Language

Acquisition

Factors that affect our chances of learning L2:Individual differences

working memory spanAge of acquisition effects

time at which begin to learn L2Environment of learningc

classroom versus immersionStyle of instruction– arnab is “rabbit” or

associations between translations or directly to concepts

Speech Perception

What is Speech Perception?

Speech Perception is the process by which the sounds of language are heard, interpreted and understood, i.e. in order for people to communicate with other people, they must first understand what is being spoken to them.

Speech Perceptions refers to the process by which human are able to interpret and understand the sounds used in language.

The study of speech perception is closely linked to the fields of phonetics & phonology (in linguistics) and cognitive & perception (in psychology)Research in speech perception seeks to understand how

human listeners recognize speech sounds and use this information to understand spoken language.

Speech PerceptionBasically children (human) need to learn four kinds of

knowledge about language:Phonology

sound system of languageSemantics

the meaning conveyed by words and sentencesSyntax

The set of grammatical rules indicating how words may be combined to make sentences

PragmaticsThe priciple that determine how language are used

pragmatically - according to situations & modified to fit the context (e.g: we speak in a simpler manner to a child than to an adult)

Phonological developmentUnderstanding & pronouncing wordsVocabulary

Fast mappingabsorb the meaning of a new word after hearing it only once or twice in conversation

The use of metaphor, a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that usually designates one thing is applied to another, becomes increasingly common

A child learn to pronounce through imitation (repetitive) Eg. TV (ivi), Susu (cu), Minum (num), tumpah (pah)

A deaf child normally have problem in speaking

Semantic development

A child learn the meaning of words then combine the wordsAdik + Nak + Susu

A child will then try to relate the meaning of certain words with it’s sound.

Addition to his/her vocabulary.

Grammar developmentChildren learn about grammar add words to make

simple sentences.2 phase:

The development of simple sentences from basic words.

The development of complex sentencesChildren start asking questions thinking &

understanding process is very rapid.Intelligent children use complex and sophisticated

sentences/wordsAs age increases familiarity with words and sentences

increases able to use, different form of sentences.

Pragmatic developmentChildren learn about the aim and how certain words and

sentences are being used in a conversation use language efficiently in social context.

Pragmatics the practical knowledge of how to use language to communicate.Social speech

Speech intended to be understood by a listener Private Speech

Talking aloud to oneself with no intent to communicate with others

Normal and common in childhood

Noam Chomsky Theory of Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

Children (human) will automatically acquire language merely by being exposed to it, regardless of any external reinforcement or operant conditioning.

Children (human) have an innate language acquisition device (LAD) i.e. an inbuilt mechanism which automatically allows a

child to decode and spoken language she/he hearsAccording to Chomsky, languages differ only in the

surface structure, but they share a similar underlying deep structure, i.e. the fundamental meaning and actions that the words convey (“Ahmad eat banana” = “ The banana was eaten by Ahmad”) – eventhough their surface structure is different, but they have same deep structure (meaning of sentence/word).

The classical Wernicke-Geschwind model of language

Wernicke–Geschwind modelCarl Wernicke created an early neurological model of language,

that later was revived by Norman Geschwind - The model is known as the WERNICKE–GESCHWIND MODEL.

According to Wernicke, people who suffer from brain damage to a particular part of the brain (i.e. temporal lobe – Wernicke’s area) may experience receptive aphasia, i.e. cannot understand speech, but still can speak fluently (their speech is meaningless).

Damage to Broca’s area (frontal cortex) cause individual to suffer from aphasia, i.e. cannot speak (partial/total loss of speech ability) but still understand what others are saying.

Wernicke–Geschwind modelW-G model suggest that wernicke’s area contains

auditory codes (i.e. information about what they SOUND like and meaning of words), and Broca’s area consists of articulatory codes (the motor commands that tells the mouth & larynx how to form words.

Wernicke–

Geschwind

Model

For listening to and understanding spoken words, the sounds of the words are sent through the auditory pathways to area 41 (the primary auditory cortex) From here they continue to wernicke’s, where the meaning of the words is extracted.

In order to speak, the meanings of words are sent from Wernicke’s area via the arcuate fasciculus to Broca’s area.

Broca’s area holds a representation for articulating words Instructions for speech are sent from Broca’s area to the facial area of the motor cortex and from there instructions are sent to facial motor neurons in the brainstem, which relay movement orders to facial muscles.

Wernicke–Geschwind modelIn order to READ, information concerning the

written text is sent from visual areas 17, 18, and 19 to the angular gyrus (area 39) and from there to Wernicke’s area (for silent reading) or, together with Broca’s area (for reading out loud).

This model is now obsolete. But it has been very useful in directing

research and organizing research results, because it is based on the idea that language consists of two basic functions: comprehension (a sensory/perceptual

function)Speaking (a motor function.)

SCL Questions to discuss1. In your opinion….

Can one language ever be fully turned off?Is L1 grammar always active?Can L2 become the more dominant language?What factors influence the relative activation of the

two languages (individual and contextual)?

2.Discuss: Noam Chomsky Theory of Language

Acquisition Device (LAD) Wernicke-Geschwind model. The differences in both theory/model