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Module 28
Language and Thought
Term | Definition |
---|---|
language | refers to spoken, written, or signed words and how we combine them to communicate meaning |
phonemes | the smallest units of sound in a language that are distinctive for speakers of the language |
morphemes | the smallest units of language that carry meaning |
grammar | a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others |
babbling stage | begins around 4 months, is characterized by the spontaneous utterance of speech sounds |
one-word stage | between 1 and 2 years of age, children speak mostly in single words |
two-word stage | beginning by about age 2, children in this stage speak mostly in two-word sentences |
telegraphic speech | the economical, telegram-like speech of children in the two-word stage, consists mostly of nouns and verbs in the correct order |
aphasia | an impairment of language, usually caused by left-hemisphere damage to Broca's area or Wernicke's area |
Broca's area | located in the left frontal lobe, is involved in controlling the motor ability to produce speech |
Wernicke's area | located in the left temporal lobe, is involved in language comprehension and expression |
linguistic determinism | Benjamin Whorf's hypothesis that language determines the way we think |