Origins of Language

Neurolinguistics                -T he study of the relationship between language and the brain Language Areas in the Brain     - S haded areas in the picture indicate the general locations of those language functions involved in speaking and listening Broca's Area -P art of the brain in the left hemisphere involved in speech production called "Anterior speech cortex" (1) Wernicke's Area -P art of the brain in the left hemisphere involved in language comprehension called "posterior speech cortex" (2) Motor Cortex and Arcuate Fasciculus -Motor Cort ex: part of the bra in that controls muscle movement -Arcuate Fasciculus: bundle of nerve fibers connecting Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area Localization View - T he belief that specific aspects of linguistic ability have specific locations in the brain Tongue Tips and Slips Tip of the Tongue Phenomenon - The experience of knowing a word, but being unable to access it and bring it t...

  -The study of what speakers mean, or “speaker meaning,” is called   pragmatics .  Invisible Meaning      -Refer to how we recognize what is meant even when it is not actually said or written. For this to happen, to happen, speakers (or writers) must be able to depend on a lot of shared assumptions and expectations when they try to communicate.       -For example, when you read the sign that said "Heated Attendant PARKING" you don’t normally think that the sign is advertising a place where you can park your “heated attendant.” Alternatively, the sign may indicate a place where parking will be carried out by attendants who have been heated.   Context      -Refer to when we use the meanings of the words, the context in which they occur, and some pre-existing knowledge of what would be a likely message as we work toward a reasonable interpretation.      -When we look at the picture, we dont think that it ...

  The Essence of Syntax           The study of syntax focuses on the rules and procedures that determine sentence structure. By using a limited set of constraints to produce an unlimited number of sentences, it illustrates the relationships between various sentence patterns and assists in differentiating between them. Surface vs. Deep Structure           Sentences' surface structure describes their various forms, yet their deep structure communicates the sentences' underlying meaning. For instance, "The child ate the cake" and "The cake was eaten by the child" have different surface structures but the same underlying structure. Structural Ambiguity           Sentences may have multiple meanings, which makes them unclear. For example, "The professor discussed the book with the student" could indicate that the professor and the student discussed the book together, or that the book was the topic ...