LanguageBecca Lange, Mithra Pirooz, Allen Cox

What is language?◦ Properties:

Regular Arbitrary Productive Discrete Communicative Dynamic Generative Structure

Let’s Review: What We’ve Already Talked About

Ancestral roots of human language in animal sounds: grunts, barks, whines

8-6 million years ago, humans split from chimpanzees

Where It All Began…

3.5 million years ago, African australopithecines, who have an apelike vocal tract, could not speak but communicated by gestures and grunts

3 million years ago, crude human proto-language is first seen

2 million years ago, Homo ergaster/archaic Homo erectus developed physical organs and mental capacity to produce a rough form of speech

100,000 years ago, first modern vocal tract appears in fossils of Homo sapiens

100,000-50,000 years ago, gradual brain enhancement and beginnings of development of symbolic thought and of language as we know it

Common origin of all human languages in a single language (Proto-World) first spoken in Africa around 70,000-60,000 years ago

32,000 years ago, earliest cave paintings and sculpture, clear evidence of symbolic thought and sophisticated language use

3,500 years ago (1,500 BC), earliest alphabetic writing emerges in the Middle East

Language is a symbolic system of communication.

According to the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, language structures the human understanding of the world. ◦ The sense of reality is embedded in a speaker’s

language.◦ Language creates a subjective perspective of the

objective world, a perspective shared by all speakers of a language.

Definitions and Views of Language

Humans have an innate ability to acquire language and capitalize on its use.

This can be shown by brain structures specifically tied to language interpretation and production.

Language as a mechanism

Neuropsychology: Some Brain Anatomy…

The left hemisphere◦ The left hemisphere plays an important part in

language processes◦ Anterior parts of the left hemisphere (Broca’s

area), are specialized for speech output◦ Posterior areas (Wernicke’s area) of the left

hemisphere are crucial for speech comprehension◦ The right hemisphere

Neuropsychology: Some Brain Anatomy…

The right hemisphere◦ Perception of prosodic cues◦ Aids with discourse by helping a person

comprehend a story line, make inferences based on previous material, and find the main theme or lesson of a story

◦ Metaphorical and nonliteral use of language

Neuropsychology: Brain Damage

Anterior & posterior regions◦ Phonology

Anterior regions◦ Syntax

Posterior regions of the left hemisphere◦ Semantics

Neuropsychology: Specific Aphasias Broca’s aphasia Wernicke’s aphasia

◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKTdMV6cOZw&feature=related

Paraphasias◦ Semantic paraphasia◦ Phonemic paraphasia

Conduction aphasia Transcortical motor aphasia Transcortical sensory aphasia Global aphasia Agrammatic aphasia

Physiology

Human Primate

Neuropsychology: Visual Language Processing American Sign Language

◦ Hand symbols◦ Syntax marked by word order, as well as the

spatial location where a symbol is made, and the type of hand movement

◦ Relies on analogous regions of the left hemisphere as vocal language, but the right hemisphere is more important

Neuropsychology: Visual Language Processing

Written Word and Music◦ Relies on similar, but separate regions of the left

hemisphere as spoken word Separable processes

Neuropsychology: Non-Indo-European Languages and Other Symbolic Systems

Kana Kanji

Language is naturally based upon sound and paralinguistics (e.g. pitch, gestures, expressions).

Additions to language, such as writing, are artificial language. They attempt to mimic natural language and cannot be innately acquired – must be taught.

Natural Language

Systematic – all language must have an identifiable grammar – or rules that outline a classification system, word sequencing, and other structuring.

Sound – can convey universal meaning.◦ Consider:

Bouba Kiki

What do these words look like?

Characteristics of Language

Arbitrary – words are arbitrarily assigned.◦ Signifier – the sounds meant to represent

something physical.◦ Signified – the object represented by the sound.◦ Consider onomatopoeias for a dog barking:

In English: arf, arf! In Spanish: guau, guau! In German: wau, wau! In Japanese: wung, wung!

Characteristics of Language (cont.)

Idioms – tendency to assign illogical meaning to random phrases (subset of arbitrariness).

Creativity – even from within the confines of language and grammar, it is theoretically possible to produce infinite statements (hence fiction and lying).

Redundancy – ensure accurate delivery (“I did it myself.” “I am.”)

Markedness – degree of differentiation between languages

Characteristics of Language (cont)

Noam Chomsky proposed that since humans have innate language competence, there must be an underlying universal grammar.

Common grammatical genetic mechanism predicts three factors:◦ “Genetic Endowment” – by genetically limiting

language, it makes language acquisition possible.◦ “External data” – ability to select language

though experience (bilingualism).◦ Principles not specific to the functions already

performed by the brain.

Universal Grammar

◦ Phoneme- in a spoken language it is the smallest distinctive sound unit (syllable)

◦ Morpheme- in a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning

◦ Grammar- system of rules in language that enables us to communicate and understand others

◦ Semantics- sets of rules which we derive meaning

◦ Syntax- rules for combining words into sensible sentences in a given language

The Parts Of Language

◦ Behaviorist- Skinner- learning of specific verbal responses

◦ Nativist- Chomsky- learning rules of language Languages Acquisition Device (LAD)

◦ Interactionist

Language Acquisition Theories

Development

Development Critical Period?

◦ Genie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ji15glasmQ&feat

ure=related 2:03 – 3:20

◦ Additive Bilingualism◦ Subtractive◦ Code Switching◦ Age of Acquisition effect

Bilingualism

The Problem:◦ There is something coming after you, and your

village, and you need to communicate this to the rest of your group

Rules:◦ You can only use the words on the paper and

other connecting words like: the, is, at, on, etc.◦ You must have a least 4 sentences◦ At least 2 different people must speak◦ Try to make it entertaining

Now Let’s Play a Little Game…

Language is constantly changing. E.g. English: Old English:

◦ Her for se here of East Englum ofer Humbremuþan to Eoforwicceastre on Norþhymbre, ond þær wæs micel ungeþuærnes þære þeode betweox him selfum

Modern Evolution of Language

Middle English:◦ Whan that aprill with his shoures soote

The droghte of march hath perced to the roote,And bathed every veyne in swich licourOf which vertu engendred is the flour;

Early Modern English:◦ To be, or not to be, that is the Question:

Whether 'tis Nobler in the minde to sufferThe Slings and Arrowes of outragious Fortune, Or to take Armes against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing end them

Modern Evolution of Language

As the cultures which speak a language become more “civilized” there is a tendency for consonants to move “forward” and vowels to move “up.”

The Knights Who Say “Ni!”◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIV4poUZAQo

Modern Evolution of Language

They live in a forest . . . this is a play on interpreted “civility”

They find the use of the the ə sound in “its” repulsive compared to the high sound ǣ in “Ni!”

Fetch me a shrubbery. . .

Language defines our reality. In many respects, language gives us our

“humanness” – or at least our consciousness of it.

Language is constantly evolving – it adapts to its needs and surroundings to promote its survival.◦ Language accomplishes in hundreds of years

what takes genetic evolution millions of years to accomplish.

Conclusion