Psychology - Language and Cognition - Research Paper Example

? Language and Cognition Teacher               Language and Cognition Language and Lexicon Language refers to the “system of conventional vocal signs by means of which human beings communicate” (Algeo, 2005). As a system, language has phonological, vocabulary and grammatical systems, which are actually systems made up of individual meaningless parts but when added together would create meaningful ones. As these components of the aforementioned systems are agreed upon by a particular group of people, then it means that language is conventional and, since it uses the voice, then it uses vocal signs. The purpose of language is also clear from the above definition: for human beings to communicate. This means that the systems that make up language definitely work hand in hand in order to create something tangible and that is human communication. If, therefore, such systems do not fulfill this goal, then one cannot call it language. The one that makes language fulfill its role is lexicon. On the other hand, lexicon is defined as the “bridge between a language and the knowledge expressed in that language” (Sowa, 2005). Although languages are different in terms of their vocabulary, they seem to convey the same expressions, the same meanings and the same concepts to different groups of people, and this is because of lexicon. Lexicon actually provides for “all the possible uses of language” and must be responsible for “[enabling] a language processor to carry messages from one province to another” (Sowa, 2005). In short, if I tell my friend that I saw a dog, and if he understands it, then that is because my sentence means the same for both of us. One thing is that it is lexicon that brings about such comprehension. Moreover, the Department of Psychology and Cognitive & Linguistic Sciences of Brown University, through the website entitled “Psycholinguistic Definitions,” (2012) defines lexicon as “psycholinguistically, all the words stored in an individual’s mental dictionary, along with associated information about each word’s phonological form, grammatical category, and other syntactic properties.” Furthermore, lexicon is practically the “point of contact between a word’s sound and its syntactic [or] semantic properties” (“Psycholinguistic Definitions,” 2012). If, therefore, I call this piece of machine in front of me a computer, then what makes the naming possible, understandable and acceptable to all English speakers is lexicon. Also, if I say “I want to get rid of my pimples,” what makes everyone who hears this think of the same thing is lexicon. Key Features of Language According to Sternberg (2006), language has six key features and these are requirements that language should be communicative, arbitrarily symbolic, regularly structured, structured at multiple levels, generative and productive, and dynamic. Language must therefore be able to make human communication possible. Through its lexicon, language must create an “arbitrary relationship between a symbol and its referent” (Sternberg, 2006). Language must also possess a stable structuring that cannot just be opposed by anyone, and such structures can be analyzed in several levels. Language can also have “novel utterances” or a limitless list of possible combinations of words used in its several levels (Sternberg, 2006). Lastly, language must constantly evolve just as it has always had. Other key features of language that Hyde (2005) has enumerated include “broadcast transmission and directional reception,” which means that although language is sent out in all directions, the way it is perceived is only at one direction; “rapid fading or transitoriness,” which refers to the idea that if one says something, it is not heard in the same place hours later; “total feedback,” which means that the speaker can always hear himself speak and at the same time make necessary adjustments in his language performance; and “arbitrariness” or the lack of necessary connection between a phoneme, a morpheme, or a sentence and its referent. Still, another key feature of language, according to Hyde (2005), is “specialization,” or the use of specialized oral structures that aid in the variation of sounds and speech and consequently in the variation of meanings conveyed during human communication. Various phonemes that, when combined, would produce various words and meanings, would be the natural result of the various operations of the tongue, the throat, the human lips, the teeth and other oral structures. One more key feature of language is “discreteness,” which refers to the distinctive quality among phonemes, and consequently among words, sentences and texts (Hyde, 2005). One example is the pronunciation of the initial consonants of the words “pig” and “big,” where, although very similar, “p” and “b” sounds will never ever produce exactly the same sounds. Still, another key feature of language is “displacement” or the idea that a speaker may talk even about things which are not present and those which cannot even be imagined to exist in a normal setting, such as purple hair or a winged man (Hyde, 2005). Hyde (2005) also emphasizes that language can only be learned or acquired although one may possess the template for such language, and this Hyde refers to as “traditional transmission.” Four Levels of Language Structure and Processing The four levels of language structure and processing include phonemes or a basic sound, which is a consonant, a vowel, or a diphthong sound, and from combinations of such, words are formed. Other sources call this phonology. The next level is words or morphemes or morphology. Words are meaningful combinations of meaningless phonemes, and words usually have a referent which is specific to a particular word. Moreover, without the use of words, language cannot exist. In fact, words are the smallest unit of language that can be used independently since they are meaningful while their basic components – phonemes – lack meaning. After words, one deals with sentences, or the grammatical or lexical units made up of words which are arranged according to the rules of syntax or grammar in order to convey meaning. Sentences can be declarative, interrogative, imperative and exclamatory, as well as other variations. Finally, the last level of language processing is texts, or the conversation or the main body of written or spoken sentences, and these texts are combinations of sentences with a unified meaning and purpose (Liu, 2012). Without a knowledge of how to use the phonemes and without a knowledge of the words, no one can proceed to the level of sentences and texts. It also follows that mastery of a lower level of language processing does not necessarily mean mastery of a level higher than it. For example, even if one masters words or has a very good vocabulary, it does not necessarily mean that he has good sentence structures or that his sentences have a good syntactic quality. Role of Language Processing According to Lenneberg in 1953, “The structure of a given language [affects] the thoughts, the memory, the perception, the learning ability of those who speak the language” (Semin, 2008). This means only one thing: Language fulfills a role in cognition, which is to effect it. Without language, there would be no cognition. Based on the previously mentioned four levels of language processing, if one does not know the phonemes, then one would not know the words, the sentences and the whole text. If, therefore, there is no knowledge of phonemes as well as the succeeding levels of language processing, then cognition would be impossible. On the other hand, as long as language can be understood in all its four levels of processing, then there would be no reason why cognition would not be possible. References Algeo, J. (2005). The Origins and Development of the English Language. 6th ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 11. Hyde, K. (2005). “The Features of Human Language.” Retrieved Sept. 5, 2012 from the University of Exeter: http://people.exeter.ac.uk/bosthaus/Lecture/hockett1.htm Liu, X. (2005). “Natural Language Processing.” Center for Natural Language Processing. Retrieved Sept. 5, 2012 from Syracuse University: http://www.cnlp.org/publications/03nlp.lis.encyclopedia.pdf “Psycholinguistic Definitions.” (2012). Retrieved Sept. 5, 2012 from Brown University: http://www.cog.brown.edu/courses/cg45/definitions.htm Semin, G. R. (2008). “Language, Culture, Cognition: How Do They Intersect?” Retrieved Sept. 5, 2012 from JFSowa.com: http://www.cratylus.org/people/uploadedFiles/1226249796958-4616.pdf Sowa, J. F. (2005). “Concepts in the Lexicon: Introduction.” Retrieved Sept. 5, 2012 from JFSowa.com: http://www.jfsowa.com/ontology/lexicon.htm Sternberg, R. J. (2006). Cognitive Psychology. 5th ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 343. Read More