7.2

Overview

This section explains the components of language, how language develops in children, and how language relates to thought and cognition.

Learning Objectives

• Define language and identify its core components
• Describe stages and mechanisms of language development
• Explain relationships between language, culture, and thinking

Components of Language

• Language: words plus rules used to transmit information
• Communication vs. language: not all communication uses linguistic rules
• Lexicon: the vocabulary of a language
• Grammar: rule system for conveying meaning using the lexicon
• Phoneme: smallest sound unit (e.g., ah vs. eh)
• Morpheme: smallest meaningful unit (e.g., I)
• Semantics: how meaning is derived from morphemes and words
• Syntax: how words are organized into sentences
• Language enables expression of concrete and abstract concepts

Language Development

• Children acquire language rapidly with minimal instruction
• Behaviorist view: learned through reinforcement (Skinner, 1957)
• Nativist view: biologically determined mechanisms (Chomsky, 1965)
• Critical period: early life window for maximal language acquisition
• Newborns prefer mother’s voice and discriminate languages
• Infants attend to audio-visual synchrony in speech

Stages of Language and Communication Development

Early Vocalization and First Words

• Babbling stage: repeated syllables; occurs with or without caregivers
• Signed language environments show manual babbling
• First word: typically between 12–18 months
• One-word stage: single words convey broader meanings
• Vocabulary growth accelerates; grammar understanding emerges

Overgeneralization in Early Grammar

• Overgeneralization: applying a rule to exceptions
• Example: adding s for plurals yields gooses or mouses
• Shows rule acquisition despite exception learning lag

Critical Period and Case Study

• Genie: severe deprivation until age 13 impeded language
• Vocabulary improved, grammar mastery did not develop
• Supports impact of missed critical period on grammar

Language and Thought

• Languages link words to ideas within cultural contexts
• Sapir-Whorf hypothesis: language determines thought (strong form)
• Strong determinism criticized for limited empiricism
• Current view: language can influence thought but is not absolute

Linguistic Determinism Examples

• Time metaphors: English horizontal (behind, ahead); Mandarin also vertical (past up, future down)
• Mandarin speakers faster on temporal tasks with vertical priming
• Conclusion: language habits encourage thought habits

Color Perception and Language

• Dani language: two color terms (light, dark)
• English: eleven basic color terms
• Dani discriminate colors similarly to English speakers
• Language influences perception more in left hemisphere than right

Key Terms & Definitions

• Language: rule-governed system for communicating with words
• Lexicon: set of words in a language
• Grammar: rules that structure meaning using the lexicon
• Phoneme: smallest unit of sound in a language
• Morpheme: smallest unit carrying meaning
• Semantics: meaning derived from words and morphemes
• Syntax: arrangement of words into sentences
• Babbling stage: repetitive syllable production in infancy
• Overgeneralization: extending a rule to irregular cases
• Critical period: optimal window for acquiring language
• Linguistic determinism: idea that language shapes thought patterns

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review stages table and align ages with milestones
• Compare examples of semantics vs. syntax in sentences
• Examine evidence for and against strong linguistic determinism
• Relate critical period concept to second-language learning strategies