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Language
By
Angela Moss
Tanisha Flowers
Reginald Alexander
Definition of Language
 A language is a method of communication. Human
spoken languages can be described as a system
of symbols (sometimes known as lexemes) and
the grammars (rules) by which the symbols are
manipulated. The word language is also used to
refer to the common properties of languages.
Language is commonly used for communication,
though it has other uses.
Language
Origins of human
language
 Scientists do not yet agree on when language
was first used by humans (or their ancestors).
Estimates range from about two million
(2,000,000) years ago, during the time of
Homo habiliss, to as recently as forty thousand
(40,000) years ago, during the time of
Cromagnon man. The nature of speech means
that there is almost no data on which to base
conclusions on the subject.
Origins of human
language
Symbols
 A symbol, in its basic sense, is a
conventional representation of a concept
or quantity; i.e., an idea, object, concept,
quality, etc. Spoken language, for
example, consists of distinct auditory
tokens for representing symbolic
concepts (words), arranged in an order
which further suggests their meaning.
Symbols
Grammar
 is the study of rules governing the use of
language. The set of rules governing a
particular language is also called the
grammar of the language; thus, each
language can be said to have its own
distinct grammar. Grammar is part of the
general study of language called
linguistics.
Grammar
Linguistics
 is the scientific study of human language,
and someone who engages in this study
is called a linguist or linguistician.
Linguistics
Levels of theoretical linguistics

Theoretical linguistics is often divided into a
number of separate areas, to be studied
more or less independently. The following
divisions are currently widely acknowledged:
A.
B.
Phonetics, the study of the sounds of human language
Phonology (or phonemics), the study of patterns of a language's
basic sounds
Morphology, the study of the internal structure of words
Syntax, the study of how words combine to form grammatical
sentences
C.
D.
Syntax
Levels of theoretical linguistics
Cont.
E. Semantics, the study of the meaning of words (lexical semantics),
and how these combine to form the meanings of sentences
F. Pragmatics, the study of how utterances are used (literally,
figuratively, or otherwise) in communicative acts
Semantics
Pragmatics
How Does Language Develop
How Does Language Develop
Cont.
 Language is acquired through interaction
exchange using that particular language and
gestures, through observation and repeated
practice.
 Children acquire their native language primarily
through that used to communicate with them
 Language development is an ongoing process
from birth to death
Types of Language


Verbal- What is
spoken
NonverbalCommunication other
than words.
a. Hand movement
b. Eye contact
c. Body movement
Views of Language
development

a.
b.
Noam Chomsky
Cognitive View—(Nativist)
Its not the parents who
teach
language to their children,
but children who teach
themselves language.
Children must be exposed
to speech for speech to
develop. Children imitate
the sounds that they hear.
B. F. Skinner
a. Learning Theoryproposed that language
is learnt through operant
conditioning
b. Language must be
learned through verbal
behavior
Stages of Language
Acquisition

Prenatal response to human voices
 Postnatal response to human voices
a. Cooing( this is comprised of all possible phones) All infants coo in the
same way regardless of culture, language, hearing impaired or not.
b. Babbling (This is comprise only from the distinct phonemes of the primary
language of the infant.

One word utterances

Multi-word utterances

Telegraphic speech

Basic adult sentence structure (by age 4)
One word
multi-word
The Brain and Language
The Brain
 Some of the areas of the brain involved
in language processing: Broca's area,
Wernicke's area, Brodmann area 40,
Angular gyrus, Primary Auditory Cortex.
Broca's area
 is the section of the human brain (in the
opercular and triangular sections of the
inferior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe of
the cortex) that is involved in language
processing, speech production and
comprehension.
Wernicke's area
 is a part of the human brain that forms part of the
cortex, on the left posterior section of the superior
temporal gyrus, posterior ,it is usually located in the left
hemisphere. Damage to this area could cause a type
of aphasia (now called Wernicke's aphasia or receptive
aphasia), which results in an impairment of language
comprehension, and speech that has a naturalsounding rhythm but a jumbled syntax without
recognizable meaning (a condition sometimes called
fluent or jargon aphasia).
Brodmann area 40
 is part of the parietal cortex in the human
brain. BA40 is in the area of the
supramarginal gyrus, which is involved in
tactile learning and memory
The angular gyrus
 is a region of the brain in the parietal
lobe, that lies near the superior edge of
the temporal lobe, and immediately
posterior to the supramarginal gyrus; it is
involved in a number of processes
related to language and cognition.
The primary auditory cortex
 is the region of the brain that is
responsible for processing of auditory
(sound) information.
The End
Questions