Chapter 6 Development of language and symbol use
Symbols = systems for representing our thoughts, feelings, and knowledge and for
communicating them to other people.
Language development
5 years → grammatically correct sentences.
Language requires:
- comprehension = understanding what others say (or sign or write)
- production = speaking (or writing or signing) to others
The components of language
Generativity = refers to the idea that through the use of the finite set of words and
morphemes in humans’ vocabulary, we can put together an infinite number of
sentences and express an infinite number of ideas.
Phonemes = elementary units of meaningful sound used to produce languages.
(every language has its own special phonemes)
→ First step in children’s language learning is phonological development (= the
acquisition of knowledge about the sound system of a language.
Morphemes = the smallest units of meaning in a language, composed of one or
more phonemes.
→ Semantic development = the learning of the system for expressing meaning in a
language, including word learning.
Syntax = rules in a language that specify how words from different categories
(nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on) can be combined.
→ syntactic development = the learning of the syntax of a language (how words
and morphemes are combined)
Pragmatic development = the acquisition of knowledge about how language is
used.
What is required for language?
1) A human brain:
● Language is:
○ species-specific: only for humans
○ species-universal: achieved by typically developing infants across the
globe
● Only human brains can acquire a communicative system with the complexity,
structure, and generativity of language.
● Brain-language relations:
○ In right-handed people language is represented/controlled by the left
hemisphere.
● Reasons for this:
Symbols = systems for representing our thoughts, feelings, and knowledge and for
communicating them to other people.
Language development
5 years → grammatically correct sentences.
Language requires:
- comprehension = understanding what others say (or sign or write)
- production = speaking (or writing or signing) to others
The components of language
Generativity = refers to the idea that through the use of the finite set of words and
morphemes in humans’ vocabulary, we can put together an infinite number of
sentences and express an infinite number of ideas.
Phonemes = elementary units of meaningful sound used to produce languages.
(every language has its own special phonemes)
→ First step in children’s language learning is phonological development (= the
acquisition of knowledge about the sound system of a language.
Morphemes = the smallest units of meaning in a language, composed of one or
more phonemes.
→ Semantic development = the learning of the system for expressing meaning in a
language, including word learning.
Syntax = rules in a language that specify how words from different categories
(nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on) can be combined.
→ syntactic development = the learning of the syntax of a language (how words
and morphemes are combined)
Pragmatic development = the acquisition of knowledge about how language is
used.
What is required for language?
1) A human brain:
● Language is:
○ species-specific: only for humans
○ species-universal: achieved by typically developing infants across the
globe
● Only human brains can acquire a communicative system with the complexity,
structure, and generativity of language.
● Brain-language relations:
○ In right-handed people language is represented/controlled by the left
hemisphere.
● Reasons for this:
