Psycholinguistics
JHHSU
Objectives:
This is an introductory course to Psycholinguistics.
2007
The objectives are:
[1]
You will be able to state the nature and scope of psycholinguistics after examining the
five typical questions. (1) How can we describe the knowledge of the language that we
can speak? (2) How do we perceive, comprehend, store, recall, and produce language? (3)
How do we acquire the knowledge of language and the ability to use it? (4) How do we
learn and use language to communicate ideas? (5) Do we share this ability to acquire and
use language with other animals?
[2]
You will be able to design and conduct a psycholinguistic research after exploring the
basic psycholinguistic constructs, approaches and methods.
Class Procedures:
You are expected to do assigned readings as preparation for class discussion. There will
be lectures and student’s presentations in class. Your course grade will be based on your class
reports, participation, term paper and final examination.
Course Syllabus
[1]
Orientation:
(1) The nature and scope of psycholinguistics
(2) A brief history of psycholinguistics
HOW CAN WE DESCRIBE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LANGUAGE THAT WE CAN SPEAK?
[2]
Why are psychologists interested in grammar? Implications of linguistic theories for
psychological processes of language comprehension and production.
*Slobin: Chapter one (#1) pp.1-27
*Carroll: Chapter 2, (skip section on sign language).
+Steinberg. "Semantic based grammar" pp.48-58
Steinberg. "Chomsky's syntactic based grammar"
Strohner & Brose. "A cognitive systems approach to linguistic knowledge." Language
Science, Vol 14, No. 1/2, 1992.
Steinberg. "Grammar, speaker performance, and psychological reality"
Fromkin, V. "The sentence patterns of language," (#3)
HOW DO WE PERCEIVE, COMPREHEND, STORE, RECALL, AND PRODUCE LANGUAGE?
[3]
Psycholinguistic studies of sentence processing: perception and comprehension; some
experimental demonstrations of the role of syntax in understanding speech; and linguistic
approaches to the meanings and functions of sentence.
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*Carroll: Chapter 3, read up to Development of the processing system.
*Gleason-Ratner: “Speech perception beyond a single segment,” pp. 136-147
*Gleason-Ratner: “The Study of Words” pp. 159-181
*Gleason-Ratner: “Meaning” 181-211
Carroll. Chapter 5: The internal lexicon.
Carroll. Chapter 4, (skip section on written language).
Slobin: Chapter 2, pp. 33-43 (#5)
Slobin: "Psycholinguistic constraints on the form of grammar"
[4]
Psycholinguistic studies of sentence and text processing (I): comprehension and memory;
processing models for speech comprehension and the nature of recoding in memory.
*Clark: "Syntactic and semantic approaches to the construction process," (#6) to p.80
*Sachs, J.S. "Recognition memory for syntactic and semantic aspects of connected
discourse." (#11)
*Foss & Hakes: "Memory and Comprehension," pp. 133-154 (#10)
*Taylor: chapter 3. (Discourse) Comprehension and memory, pp. 53-62, 66-75
Taylor. Chapter 5. Sentence: comprehension and memory, pp. 117-143
Denhiere-Dubois. "Recent issues in semantics," IJP 78/5-2
Clark & Clark: "Memory for substance," pp. 153-173 (#9)
[5]
How is knowledge stored? How is information encoded or recalled?
*Schank & Abelson, "Scripts, Plans, and Knowledge" (#13)
*Mandler-Johnson, "Remembrance of Things Parsed: Story Structure and
Recall," Cognitive Psychology 9, 1977, pp. 111-135, 148-150. (#14)
Chafe, "The recall and verbalization of past experience." Current issues in linguistic
theory.
Chafe, "The flow of thought and the flow of language." Discourse and syntax.
Kintsch-Kintsch, "The role of schemata in text comprehension," IJP 78/5
Allan Paivio. "Imagery, language, and semantic theory." IJP 78/5-2 [10]
[6]
Psycholinguistic studies of sentence processing (II): production of speech. How do we
map out abstract thoughts onto a string of perceptible sounds? How is language processed
with computers?
*Clark & Clark, "Plans for What to Say," pp. 237-258, in Psychology and Language. (#8)
*Gleason & Ratner, “Speech production: issues,” pp. 312-327, in Psycholinguistics.
*Gleason & Ratner, “Speech production: models,” pp.327-338, in Psycholinguistics.
*O’Grady, Chapter 17, “Computational Linguistics,” pp. 663-698
Winegrad, T. "Artificial intelligence: when will computers understand people?"
Psychology Today, 1974, 7(12), 73-79 (#12)
Taylor, "Sentence: basic syntax and production," pp. 98-115.
Carroll, Chapter 8, skip section on sign language.
Foss & Hakes, "Sentence production," pp. 172-201 (#7)
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HOW DO WE ACQUIRE THE KNOWLEDGE OF LANGUAGE AND THE ABILITY TO USE IT? HOW DO WE
LEARN AND USE LANGUAGE TO COMMUNICATE IDEAS?
[7]
Biological foundations of language: anatomical specializations of the human speech
apparatus; brain specialization for language; evidence from aphasia, dichotic listening,
and split-brain studies.
*Taylor. "Language and brain" pp. 363-384
*Curtis, et al. "The linguistic development of Genie." (#25)
*Tzeng, et al. "Processing Chinese logographs by Chinese brain damaged patients," in
Graphonomics. pp. 357-374
Slobin: "Biological foundations of language" (#24)
[8]
What does the child mean to say? Language before grammar: one-word utterances and
their relation to sensory-motor intelligence. The growth of grammar. The emergence of
grammar and the strategies for grammatical development. Development from surface
(pivot) to "rich semantic" descriptions of early utterances. The development of inflections
and word order, and so on.
*Clark & Clark: "How young children use their utterances," 312-320 (#18), and
Taylor. "Phonological development," pp. 240-248
*Taylor. "Syntactic development," pp. 290-320
*Slobin: "Language development in the child," pp. 83-100 (#17)
*Taylor. "Semantic and discourse skills," pp. 260-282
*Carroll. Chapter 12: “Processes of Language Acquisition”
*Gleason. “Theories of child language acquisition,” pp. 375-393
Howell et als. “A model of grounded language acquisition: Sensorimotor features
improve lexical and grammatical learning.” Journal of Memory and Language
53 (2005) 258-276
Slobin: "Language development in the child," pp. 74-83 (#17)
Clark. “How language acquisition builds on cognitive development.” Trends in Cognitive
Sciences, Vol. 8, No. 10, October 2004
Bowerman: "Semantic factors" pp. 136-165 (#20)
Bowerman, M. "Semantic factors in the acquisition of rules for word use and
sentence construction," pp. 99-136 (#20)
Slobin. "Cognitive pre-requisites for the development of grammar." (#21)
Bates et al. "The acquisition of performatives prior to speech," Merrill-Palmer
Quarterly, 1975, 21, 205-226 (#19)
Stark et al. "Vocal communication in the first 18 months of life." Journal of Speech and
Hearing Research. Vol 36, 548-558, June 1993
[9]
Relations between language and thought. The role of verbal coding in memory; The
Whorfian hypothesis of linguistic relativity and linguistic determinism from the current
perspective of psycholinguistics and cognitive psychology; and the effects of literacy on
thought and language use.
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*Slobin: chapter 6, "Language and cognition" (#29)
*Steinberg: chapter 6: language and thought
*Slobin: “Language and thought online: Cognitive consequences of linguistic relativity,”
in D. Gentner & S. Goldin-Meadow (Eds.), 2003
Rosch: "Linguistic relativity." Human communication: Theoretical explorations. pp. 95121 (#31)
Cook-Gumperz: “From oral to written culture: the transition to literacy” (#32)
Carston, Robyn. "Language and cognition," in Language: psychological and
biological aspects.
DO WE SHARE THIS ABILITY TO ACQUIRE AND USE LANGUAGE WITH OTHER ANIMALS?
[10]
Can chimpanzees learn human language? A detailed examination of the nature of
language and its acquisition in the light of three different kinds of attempts to train
chimpanzees to use a symbolic system for communication with human beings.
*Patterson, F. "Conversations with a Gorilla." National Geographic, Vol. 15
No. 4, October 1978, pp. 438-465 (#37)
*Gardner: "Comparing the early utterances of child and chimpanzee." (#26)
*Premack: "Teaching Sarah to read," Why chimps can read. (#27)
Rumbaugh & Gill: "The mastery of language-type skills by the chimpanzee." Annals of
the N.Y. Academy of Sciences, '76, 280, 562-578 (#28)
Optional
[11]
Experimental study of complex syntax and semantics in children:
Hsu, J. A study of the development and acquisition of Chinese. (#35)
Bloom, Lois. One Word at a Time, chapters 2, 5 (#36)
Limber, J. "The genesis of complex sentences." (#23)
[12]
Language, cognitive development and schooling. Effects of langauge, literacy, and culture
on the development of the child.
Anderson, John R. “Acquisition of Cognitive Skill.” Psychological Review. 1982. Vol. 89,
No. 4, 369-406 (#0)
Goody & Watt: "The consequences of literacy" (#30)
Vygotsky: "The prehistory of written language." Mind in society: the development of
higher psychological processes. (#33)
Cole & Bruner: "Cultural differences and inferences about psychological
processes." American Psychologist, 1971, 26, 867-876 (#34)
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