Language:
“the jewel of the crown of cognition”
- Steven Pinker
What is language?
• A form of communication that is based
on a system of symbols
• It is perhaps what separates humans
from other species.
Language Structure
• Phonemes
• Morphemes
•
•
•
•
Words
Phrases
Sentences
Discourse
Grammar: The rules of
language
• Semantics - deriving meaning from
morphemes, words, and sentences
• Syntax - rules of how words are ordered
• Note that there is productivity in
language as well as regularity
Can Animals Understand
Language?
• Washoe- chimpanzee who was taught
sign language
– Acquired 181 signs
• Kanzi- bonobo taught some English
– displays understanding of limited
vocabulary
How does language develop?
• 6 months = cooing, vowels, babbling
– “citizens of the world”
• 12 months = spoken language sounds
only, first words
• 18-24 months = telegraphic (two-word)
speech
• By age 6 = understands most grammar
rules of language (implicitly!)
Can the “citizens of the world”
window be lengthened?
• Using audiotapes of other languages?
• Videos of other languages?
A related tangent: Theory of
Mind
• The understanding of symbolic
representations occurs around 48
months of age
• This is also the age when theory of
mind develops = understanding of
others’ mental states
Zimmerman, Christakis, and
Meltzoff (2007)
• Compared language development in
children who had been exposed to
‘Baby Einstein’ and ‘Brainy Baby’ DVDs
• Found a large negative correlation
between watching and language
abilities
• Avg of 6-8 words lost per hour of
watching
Critical Period for Language
• During this period, we are especially
sensitive to environmental influences
• Evidence:
– Children in isolation do not learn rules of
grammar
– Recovery after brain damage much more
likely earlier rather than later
Bilingualism
• Simultaneous bilinguals: learned 2
languages simultaneously
• Sequential bilinguals: learned one
language, then another
Age of learning a 2nd language
• Phonology: the earlier, the better
• Vocabulary: age of acquisition does not
matter
• Grammar: age does not matter
• Brain activation (Hirsch, 1997)
– Early bilinguals- same area activated
– Later bilinguals- adjacent area activated
Biological Influences: Chomsky’s
Language Universals
•
An innate ability to learn language is
prewired
•
Children worldwide develop in similar
way around the world
•
Language ability cannot be solely due
to imitation
Environmental Influences
• Behaviorist view- operant conditioning
– Issues
• Exposure to language improves and
quickens language development
Strategies
• Be an active conversationalist.
• Talk as if you’re understood.
• Use a style with which you feel
comfortable.
• Remember, infants shape us, too!