language - cmupsy.cmu.edu/~kotovsky/85102/lectures/slides/lang-langdev.pdf · into words 4 months...

Language

(…andalsoDevelopment:Preview,ifwehavetime)

Prof.KodyMankeCarnegieMellonUniversity

November8th,2016

Language

It’sliketalkingandstuff…

§ 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

Language:howgoodareweatit?

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

Babbling


(“notspeaking”)




12months One-wordstage:understandingandbeginningtosaymanynouns

LanguageStages

One-wordstage


(“notspeaking”)





18-24months Two-word,“telegraphic”speech:addingverbs,andmakingsentencesbutmissingwords(“Seebird!Readbook?Gopark!”)

LanguageStages

Twowordtelegraphicspeech


(“notspeaking”)





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.


Broca’s (expressive)aphasia

Wernicke’sarea

DamagetoWernicke’sarealeadstodifficultycomprehendingspeechandproducingcoherentspeech(noteasilymonitoringone’s

ownspeechtomakesureitmakessense).

Broca’s area


Wernicke’s(fluent)aphasia

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?

Experimental Task

tupabugornbugorn / tupabugorn

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)

Nowyouknow…

• Childrenrapidlydeveloptheirlanguageabilities,andtheydosothroughstages.

• Thereseemtobecriticalperiodsthataffecttheabilitytolearnlanguage.

• Braindamageaffectslinguisticcapabilities,andtellusaboutthefunctionsofdifferentbrainregions.

• Languageandthinkinginfluenceoneanother.

language - cmupsy.cmu.edu/~kotovsky/85102/lectures/slides/lang-langdev.pdf · into words 4 months...

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