PSYCH101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Emergentism, Metalinguistic Awareness, Interpersonal Communication

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH101
• Professor: Toni Serafini

Document Summary

Language consists of symbols that convey meaning, plus rules for combining those symbols, that can be used to generate an infinite variety of messages. Includes critical properties including: language is symbolic, language is semantic, generative, structured. Phonemes: the smallest speech units in a language that can be distinguished perceptually. English composed of 40 phonemes corresponding to 26 letter in the alphabet plus variations. Morphemes: smallest units of meaning in a language. Syntax: a system of rules that specify how words can be arranged into sentences. There cannot be a sentence without a verb. Fast mapping: is the process by which children map a word onto an underlying concept after only one exposure. Overextension: occurs when a child incorrectly uses a word to describe a wider set of objects or actions that it is meant to. Under extensions: occurs when a child incorrectly uses a word to describe a narrower set of objects or actions than it is meant to.