A.P. Psychology

Chapter 8 Language and Thought

Language vs. Speech

• Language – made up of socially

shared rules that include the following:• What words mean• How to make new

words• How to put words

together• What word

combinations are best in what situations

• Speech – the verbal means of

communicating – consists of the

following:• Articulation

– How speech sounds are made

• Voice– Use of the vocal

folds and breathing to produce

• Fluency– The rhythm of

speech

Language vs. SpeechDisorders

Language Disorders

• Receptive Language– understanding others

• Expressive Language– sharing thoughts, ideas,

and feelings completely

Speech Disorders

• a person cannot produce speech sounds correctly or fluently

• A person has problems with his or her voice

Language Structure

• Language– Consists of symbols that convey meaning, plus rules

for combining those symbols to create messages– Phonemes

• Smallest speech units – there are about 40– Includes the 26 letters of the alphabet

– Morphemes• Smallest units of meaning in language

– Root words, prefixes, suffixes

– Semantics• Meaning of words & word combinations

– Denotation – dictionary definition– Connotation – emotional overtones & secondary implications

– Syntax• Rules that specify how words are arranged into sentences

Phonetic Alphabet

Milestones in Language Development

• First 6 Months• Communication through crying, cooing & laughter• Babbling & repetitive sounds “ba, ba, ba” “la, la, la”

• 10 – 13 Months• Sounds increasingly resemble words• Mama, papa, dada

• 13 – 18 Months• Vocabulary of 3 to 50 words (mostly objects)• Comprehension is much greater than production of speech

• 18 – 24 Months• Vocabulary Spurt – up to 20 more words per week• Fast Mapping – map a word to an underlying concept after

only one exposure

Milestones in Language Development

• 2 – 3 Years• Children turn words into sentences• Telegraphic Speech use mainly content words

(articles, prepositions & less critical words are omitted)• 3 yr olds – should be able to use plurals & past tense• Overregularizations – grammar rules are incorrectly

generalized

• 4 – 5 Years• Largest strides in language development happen here• Metalinguistic Awareness ability to reflect upon the

use of language