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Language and Thought

The document discusses the complexities of language, including its various forms, development stages, and the relationship between language and thought. It highlights theories from Skinner and Chomsky on language acquisition and introduces the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which posits that language influences thought processes. Additionally, it touches on animal communication and concludes that while language shapes thought, it does not strictly determine it.

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3 views

Language and Thought

The document discusses the complexities of language, including its various forms, development stages, and the relationship between language and thought. It highlights theories from Skinner and Chomsky on language acquisition and introduces the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which posits that language influences thought processes. Additionally, it touches on animal communication and concludes that while language shapes thought, it does not strictly determine it.

Uploaded by

Akonya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Language and Thought

Its all about communication!!!


1. Up to 7000 languages

1. From 10 major language


families

1. More than half of world


population are bilinguals
or multilinguals

1. A language dies every two


weeks
Differences between languages
Ways to categorize the world
• Certain expressions are deeply engrained
in the speaker’s culture.
• The Eskimo language has a large number
of words for the word snow.
• ‘apun’= “snow on the ground”
• ‘qanikca’= “hard snow on the ground”,
• ‘utak’= “block of snow”.
Language
• Our spoken written or gestured
words and the way we combine them
to communicate meaning.
Phonemes
• In a spoken
language, the
smallest
distinctive sound
unit.
• Chug has three
How many phonemes phonemes, ch, u, g.
does platypus have?
Morphemes
• In a language,
the smallest
unit that
carries meaning.
• Can be a word
or part of a
word (prefix or
suffix).
Grammar
• A system of
rules in a
language that
enables us to
communicate
and understand
others.
Semantics
• The set of rules
by which we
derive meaning in
a language.
• Adding ed at the
The Chinese languages
end of words do not have expansive
means past semantic rules. They
usually have totally
tense. different symbols for
different tenses.
Syntax
• The rules for
combining words
into grammatically
sensible
sentences.
• In English,
adjectives come Is this the White
House of the House
before nouns, but
White?
not in Spanish!!
Language development
• How many words do you think you
know now?

Probably around 80,000.

After age 1 you average about 13


words a day.
Language Development
• Babbling Stage: starting at 3-4 months, the
infant makes spontaneous sounds. Not
limited to the phonemes of the infant’s
household language.

•One-word stage: 1-2 years old, uses one


word to communicate big meanings.

•Two word stage: at age 2, uses two words


to communicate meanings- called
telegraphic speech.
How do we explain language
development?
Skinner
• Skinner thought
that we can
explain language
development
through social
learning theory
(which is?).
The young boy imitates his
dad, then gets a reward.
Chomsky
Inborn Universal Grammar
• We acquire language
too quickly for it to
be learned.
• We have this
“learning box” inside
our heads that
enable us to learn
any human language.
Does language influence
our thinking?
The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Language is not only
for expression but
also helps organise
our thought. Diverse
languages impose
different conceptual
categories on their
speakers.
Edward Sapir
Benjamin Lee Whorf
Whorf’s Linguistic Relativity
• The idea that
language
determines the way
we think (not vive
versa).
•The Hopi tribe has
no past tense in
their language, so
Whorf says they
rarely think of the
past.
Do people that speak more than one
language think differently depending
on their language at that time?
Thinking without Language
• We can think in words.
• But more often we think in mental
pictures.
In 1977, Reggie
Jackson hit 3 HR’s
against the
Dodgers. He has
stated that before
each at bat, he
visualizes crushing
a home run. Do you
think visualization
helps?
Do Animals think?
Kohler’s Chimpanzees
• Kohler
exhibited that
Chimps can
problem solve.
Honeybees seem to communicate
Conclusion
• Human language is different from that of
animal communication in the sense that it
is infinite
• Concepts are organized in a hierarchical
strcture with a basic level (Rosch)
• Language influences thoughts, but does
not determine it
• Reasoning is not always reasonable

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