Module 36 REVIEW

• 36-1 What are the structural components of a language?

• Phonemes are a language’s basic units of sound.
• Morphemes are the elementary units of meaning.
• Grammar—the system of rules that enables us to communicate—includes semantics (rules for deriving meaning) and syntax (rules for ordering words into sentences).

• 36-2 How do we acquire language, and what is universal grammar?

• Linguist Noam Chomsky has proposed that humans are biologically predisposed to learn the grammar rules of language. He calls this trait universal grammar.
• As our biology and experience interact, we readily learn the specific grammar and vocabulary of the language we experience as children.

• 36-3 What are the milestones in language development, and when is the critical period for acquiring language?

• Language development’s timing varies, but all children follow the same sequence.
• Receptive language (the ability to understand what is said to or about you) develops before productive language (the ability to produce words).
• At about 4 months of age, infants babble, making sounds found in languages from all over the world.
• By about 10 months, their babbling contains only the sounds found in their household language.
• Around 12 months of age, children begin to speak in single words. This one-word stage evolves into two-word (telegraphic) utterances before their second birthday, after which they begin speaking in full sentences.
• Childhood represents a critical period for language learning, and those who have not been exposed to a spoken or signed language by age 7 lose their ability to master any language. Deaf children born to hearing-nonsigning parents often demonstrate the impact of early language experiences.

• 36-4 What brain areas are involved in language processing and speech?

• Two important language- and speech-processing areas are Broca’s area, a region of the left frontal lobe that controls language expression, and Wernicke’s area, a region in the left temporal lobe that controls language reception (and also assists with expression).
• Language processing is spread across other brain areas as well, where different neural networks handle specific linguistic subtasks.

• 36-5 What is the relationship between thinking and language, and what is the value of thinking in images?

• Although Benjamin Lee Whorf’s linguistic determinism hypothesis suggested that language defines thought, it is more accurate to say that language influences thought (linguistic influence).
• Different languages embody different ways of thinking, and immersion in bilingual education can enhance thinking.
• We often think in images when we use nondeclarative (procedural) memory (our automatic memory system for motor and cognitive skills and classically conditioned associations).
• Thinking in images can increase our skills when we mentally practice upcoming events.

Multiple-Choice Questions

1. In the word “prepare,” each “r” can be considered a
   1. babble.
   2. morpheme.
   3. semantic.
   4. phoneme.
   5. thought.
2. Eighteen-month-old Becca is in the telegraphic speech phase. Which of the following best represents something she might say?
   1. “Mama”
   2. “Yogurt please”
   3. “Katie fall”
   4. “The dog is fuzzy”
   5. “I love you mommy”
3. The prefix “pre” in “preview” or the suffix “ed” in “adapted” are examples of
   1. phonemes.
   2. morphemes.
   3. babbling.
   4. language development.
   5. grammar.
4. The idea that language develops because of an inborn tendency to learn the grammar rules of language was proposed by
   1. Wernicke.
   2. Broca.
   3. Skinner.
   4. Chomsky.
   5. Sternberg.

Practice FRQs

1. Consider the sentence “The small child tired was.” Apply the following terms to some element of the sentence:
   • Phoneme
   • Morpheme
   • Semantics
   • Syntax

Answer

1 point: Phonemes are the smallest distinctive sounds in a word. An example might be the “th” in the or the “ll” in small. Page 381

1 point: Morphemes are the smallest units of a word that carry meaning in language. In this sentence, each word is a morpheme but they cannot be broken down into smaller units. Page 382

1 point: Semantics is the meaning of a sentence. It is clear from the sentence that the child is tired. Page 382

1 point: Syntax represents the rules for ordering words into sentences. In this sentence the syntax is wrong because the word “was” should come before the word “tired.” Page 382

2. After an accident, Josh lost his ability to both speak and understand spoken language. Explain how the following terms relate to the situation:
   • Aphasia
   • Broca’s area
   • Wernicke’s area.

(3 points)