CPSY 4343 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Intersubjectivity, 18 Months, Mutual Exclusivity
Document Summary
Theoretical perspectives: the nature of language. In order for a communication system to be considered a true language, it must have 2 characteristics: Productivity- an infinite number of combinations or parts can be legally created to express different ideas (with potentially very nuanced differences) Regularity- governed by a system of rules: speaker can"t necessarily articulate them. Morphemes: the smallest units of language that are meaningful. Phonemes: the units of sound that make changes to words: a nativist perspective. Critical period (for language acquisition): a time in which language had to be mastered (before puberty) if it were ever going to reach mature levels of fluency. Language acquisition device (lad)- according to chomsky, a hypothetical part of the mind used by a toddler to figure out how to understand and how to produce human language. Universal grammar- the idea that all human languages share a long list of commonalities.
