12: Language and the brain:Neurolinguistics:

The study of the relationship between language and the brain.

12: Language and the brain: Ability to use language The left hemisphere (language center) and the right hemisphere

LanguageSpatial abilities

MathFace recognition

Logic Visual imagery Music

Left hemisphere:

Motor cortex

Anterior speech cortexBroca’s area

Posterior speech cortexWernicke’s area

Arcuate fasciculus

Broca’s area (anterior speech cortex):

Damage to anterior speech cortex (Broca’s area) difficulty in producing speech

Language ability must be located in the left hemisphere.

The production of Speech

Anterior speech cortexBroca’s area

Wernicke’s area (posterior speech cortex):

Damage to this part of the brain speech comprehension difficulties

The understanding of speech

Posterior speech cortexWernicke’s area

The motor cortex (by Penfield and Roberts) : Controls movement of the muscles (for moving hands, feet, arms, etc.).

Close to Broca’s area is the part of the motor cortex that controls the articulatory muscles of the face, jaw, tongue and larynx.

The physical articulation of speechMotor cortex

The arcuate fasciculus:

Arcuate fasciculus: (Wernicke’s discovery) a bundle of nerve fibers

Connection between Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas Arcuate fasciculus

The localization view:Specific aspects of language ability have specific locations in the brain.

The brain activity: hearing a word+ understanding it

saying it Arcuate fasciculus

Malfunctions: disorders in brain function

Tip of the tongue - malapropism Mild Slip of the tongue (spoonerism)Malfunctions: Slip of the ear

Broca’s aphasia (motor aphasia) Severe Wernicke’s aphasia (sensory aphasia) Conduction aphasia

Tongue Tips:

Tip of the tongue: you know the word, but it won’t come to the surface.

Malapropism (named after Mrs. Malaprop): Misuse of a word for another one. E.g. distinguisher – extinguisher

meditation - medication

Tongue slips (changing the sounds in pronunciation):

Spoonerism (after William Spooner): the interchange of two initial sounds. E.g. You have hissed all my mystery lectures. Chish and fips

Perseveration error: carry over a sound from one word to the next. Black bloxes

Anticipation error: when a sound is brought forward Noman numeral (Roman) A tup of tea (cup) Highly played player (paid)

The interchange of word-final sounds (less common). Stick neff (stiff neck) Loop before you leak (look before you leap)

Slips of the earSlips of the ear: mishear of the word Pauses within the word Extra pause

E.g. Great ape (gray tape) Gladly the cross-eyed bear (Gladly the cross I’d bear)

Aphaisa: An impairment of language function due to brain damage

leads to difficulty in understanding and/or producing linguistic forms. Agraphia: difficulty in writing Alexia: difficulty in reading Anomia: difficulty in using proper nouns, words

Agrammatism: difficulty in using grammatical words, like articles, preposition, etc.

Broca’s aphasia (motor aphasia): Reduced amount of speech Distorted articulation Slow and effortless speech

Comprehension is better than production

Agrammatism

Wernicke’s aphasia (sensory):

Difficulties in auditory comprehension

Produce fluent speech - difficult to understand

Difficulty in finding correct word (anomia)

Conduction aphasia:

Damage to the arcuate fasciculus Mispronounce words Poor repetition Comprehension is normally good.

Dichotic listening test:

Subjects / earphones / two different sounds simultaneously, one through each ear

Easier to identify the sound that come via the right ear

Non-direct route takes longer

The right hemisphere is responsible for processing non-linguistic (non-verbal) signals, like music, coughs, traffic noises, birds singing.

The left hemisphere is dominant for language sounds.

Lateralization/ lateral dominance (one-sidedness): The specialization of the left side of the brain for language function.

Right ear advantage: The ability to perceive language better in the right ear than the left ear.

Left ear advantage: The ability to perceive language better in the left ear.

The critical period/ the sensitive period:

From birth until puberty when the human brain is most ready to receive input and learn a particular language.

Language acquisition is difficult after this period. Why?Because lateralization has already occurred by this time.

Genie:

No language during the critical period Communicating after the puberty Using the right hemisphere of her brain for language functions. A left ear advantage for verbal as well as non-verbal signals.

Speaking ability: Not grammatically complex speech:

Our ability for language: Not limited to only one or two specific areas

It is based on more complex connections extending throughout the whole brain.

Unit 13

13. First language acquisition

A special capacity for language Certain requirements:

InteractionCultural transmissionPhysical ability

Input: Language samples

Caregiver speech / motherese / child-directed speech: Simplified speech style

Stages of language acquisition:

Cooing (1- 5; [i], [u], [k], [g]); difference between [i] - [a]; [ba] - [ga]

Babbling (6-8; ba-ba-ba and ga-ga-ga); (9-10; intonation pattern, variation in combinations, ba-ba-da-da);

(nasal sounds ma-ma-ma); (complex combinations ma-da-ga-ba)

Stages of language acquisition:

The one-word stage/ holophrastic stage (12-18):

Holophrase water

Intended meaning I want some water

Stages of language acquisition: The two-word stage (18-20): combinations

Baby chairThis is baby’s chair (an expression of possession)

Put baby in chair (a request)Baby is in the chair (a statement)

Telegraphic speech (24- 30) Strings of words in phrases or sentences This shoe all wet. Cat drink milk

The acquisition process:

The way a child acquire the language:

1) Developing morphology2) Developing syntax3) Developing semantics

Developing morphology:

Using inflectional morphemes -ing cat sitting Plural marker -s cats, boys Possessive inflection -’s girl’s dog “to be” are, was Irregular past-tense forms went, came Regular past-tense forms walked, played

-s marker on third person singular present-tense verbs

Overgeneralization

Extending a grammatical rule for all situations foots, mans goed, comed

Developing syntax (forming questions):

First stage (18-26): Wh- form (where, who) to the beginning of the expression. E.g., Where kitty?

A rise in intonation towards the end. E.g., Doggie?

Second stage (22-30): More complex expressions, more Wh-forms. e.g., Why you smiling? See my doggie?

Third stage (24-40): The inversion of subject and verb. E.g., Can I have?

Developing syntax (forming negatives):

First stage (18-26): Putting No or Not at the beginning of the sentence.

e.g., Not a teddy bear, No sit there Second stage (22-30):

don’t and can’t. No and not before verbs, e.g., He no bite you.

Third stage (24-40): Didn’t and won’t Stage 1 disappears A very late acquisition: isn’t

Developing semantics:

A process of overextension A process of narrowing down the application of each word Overextension:

Overextending the meaning of a word on the basis of similarities of shape, sound, size, movement and texture.

Ball is extended to all kinds of round objects (lampshade, doorknob, moon)

Thank you

Other views:

Views:Pathway metaphor: brain is compared with “electrical circuits”. (process of sending signals through electric circuits)

Sigmund Freud: brain is compared with “steam engine” to account for aspects of the brain’s activity.

Aristotle: brain is compared with a cold sponge that functioned to keep the blood cool.

These views are not important. They want to show how brain works. Another view which is important is the study of malfunctions of the brain.

The localization view: The word is heard and comprehend via wernicke’s area. This signal is then transferred via the arcuate fsciculus to Broca’s area where preparations are made to produce it. A signal is then sent to part of the motor cortex to physically articulate the word.