KEMENTERIAN PENDIDIKAN DAN KEBUDAYAAN
UNIVERSITAS SULTAN AGENG TIRTAYASA
FAKULTAS KEGURUAN DAN ILMU PENDIDIKAN
PROGRAM STUDI PENDIDIKAN BAHASA INGGRIS
MID TEST
Subject :
Psycholinguistics
Semester :
VII /2013-2014
Lecturers :
Dr. Yudi Juniardi, M.Pd. / Rosmania Rima, M.Pd.
Name : Eni Wahyuni
NIM : 2223102388
Class : 7 D
Answer
the questions below briefly and support your answer with some examples!
1. What is the underlying reason of
the existence of psycholinguistics as one of linguistic fields?
Answer:
The reason is because
psycholinguistics or psychology of language is the study of the psychological
and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire, use, comprehend and
produce language. And then psycholinguistics or psychology of language is the
study of psychological states and mental activity that are associated with the
use of language. Psycholinguistics covers the cognitive processes that make it
possible to generate a grammatical and meaningful sentence out of vocabulary
and grammatical structures, as well as the processes that make it possible to
understand utterances, words, text, etc.
The field studies the way in which
operations of the mind make language possible. Specifically, it explores the
cognitive processes that underline the use, storage and acquisition of
language. It takes into account affective and contextual factors only as far as
their impact on performance is concerned. Psycholinguistic's main goal is the
identification of general patterns of behavior across language users, which
might reflect the capabilities and biases of the human brain or the processing
requirements of the language under investigation.
A long-term area of interest has
also been the way in which vocabulary is stored in the language user's mental
lexicon. Developmental psycholinguistics study is language acquisition. Another
area of psycholinguistics contributes to an understanding of language
impairments, both developmental impairment and impairment that is acquired as a
result of illness or accident. Psycholinguists study the processes that
contribute to dyslexia and dysgraphia, with aphasic symptoms produced by
strokes and with disorders of speech.
2.
Is there a critical age for first language learning?
Answer:
Yes. The concept of a
critical age for first language was raised. Recall, if you will, that although
solid evidence was lacking, some theories hypothesized that there was an age
(puberty, for example) beyond it would be impossible to acquire a first
language. Brain changes were suggested as a possible explanation for such a
psychological barrier.
Between the ages of two and three
years language emerges by an interaction of maturation and self-programmed
learning. Between the ages of three and the early teens the possibility for
primary language acquisition constitutes to be good; the individual appears to
be most sensitive to stimuli at this time and to preserve some innate
flexibility for the organization of brain functions to carry out the complex
integration of sub-processes necessary for the smooth elaboration of speech and
language. After puberty, the ability for self-organization and adjustment to
the physiological demands of verbal behavior quickly declines. The brain
behaves as if it had become set in its ways and primary, basic skills not
acquired by that time usually remain deficient for life (Lenneberg 1967:158).
3.
Can person who are mute but hearing develop the ability to comprehend
speech?
Answer:
Yes. Because speech
comprehension occurs without speech production:
·
Mute but hearing can develop the ability
to comprehend speech without their being able to produce speech.
·
Mute persons developed a grammar. A
mental grammar is based on speech comprehension that enabled them to understand
the speech to which they were exposed.
4.
How ‘sign language’ differ from sign and gesture?
Answer:
• Sign language
Sign language is a system of
communication utilizing gestures. Each letter and sound is represented by a
specific gesture. It is much more codified than a general gesture. Sign
language is not where letters and sounds are represented by gestures. Rather sign
language is where specific concepts are represented by specific established
signs, movements and facial grammar. Sign language based on the speech of
ordinary language can be of two different kinds: one which represent the
morphemes of speech and one which represents spelling (orthography).
• Gesture
According to Adam Kendon (2004)
stated that gesture as visible body actions that may be used in conjunction
with spoken expressions or as alternatives to them. Gesture can be a natural
form of expression or may be shaped by cultural codes. A gesture, as I would
define it, is a motion that creates a shape that has a specific meaning.
5.
Can animal communication be regarded as language?
Answer:
No, because as linguist
Chomsky (1957) claims that humans possess an innate universal grammar that is
not possessed by other species. This can be readily demonstrated, he claims, by
the universality of language in human society and by the similarity of their
grammars. No natural non-human system of communication shares this common
grammar. And then according to Macphail (1982, cited by Pearce, 1987) made the
claim that humans acquire language (and non-humans do not) not because humans
are (quantitatively) more intelligent, but because humans possess some species-specific
mechanism (or mechanisms) which is a prerequisite of language-acquisition.
Natural animal communication,
Pearce (1987, p252) cites a definition of animal communication by Slater (1983,
see Pearce for reference), which we will also use as a working definition in
this lecture. Animal communication is the transmission of a signal from one
animal to another such that the sender benefits, on average, from the response
of the recipient.
And then natural animal
communication can include:
·
Chemical signals (used by some very
simple creatures, including protozoa)
·
Smell (related to chemical signals, eg.
pheromones attract, skunk secretions repel)
·
Touch
·
Movement
·
Posture (eg. dogs, geese)
·
Facial gestures (eg. dogs snarling)
·
Visual signals (eg. feathers)
·
Sound (eg. very many vertebrate and
invertebrate calls)
6.
Can we teach animal a language?
Answer:
Yes. Lots of animals can
actually talk, but they communicate differently to the way that we do. Animals
don’t have a spoken language but instead they communicate with each other using
sounds and gestures. That said, some animals (such as parrots and mynah birds)
can make noises that sound like words, but they’re actually just mimicking us
and they don’t really understand what they’re saying.
The scientists have managed to
teach some chimpanzees to speak using different sounds, sign language and
computer keyboards. Some chimps can speak with as many as thirty different
sounds and seem to be on the verge of human speech. They also use many
different facial expressions and gestures like we do. But they don’t seem good
at putting sentences together. This seems to be a very human trait.
We must avoid using features of
human language that are physiologically difficult or impossible for the animal
to manage.
For example, spoken human language
is extremely difficult or impossible for most animals because of the structure
of their vocal organs. Apes, for example, can't produce a large proportion of
the vowels and would have difficulty with some of the consonants. This may be
due not only to the shapes of the vocal organs but also to the limitations of
the motor centers in the brain that control these organs. We might attempt, on
the other hand, to teach apes language that involves them using their hands
(eg. sign language or the manipulation of symbols).
7. There are 3 factors involved in
second language acquisition: psychological, social situation, other psychological
variable. Explain them!
Answer:
• Psychological
In this section, we shall consider
intellectual processing which is involved in an individual's analytical
determination of grammatical structures and rules. Memory which is essential if
language learning is to occur and remain and motor skills which Concern the
pronunciation of the sound involved in second language. Example: the use of
articulators of speech (tongue, lips, mouth, vocal cords, etc)
• Social Situation
The types of situation, setting,
and interaction which an individual experiences can affect the learning of a
second language. Thus, we will be concerned with where and with whom exposure
to the second language occurs. Example: in natural situation (family, play,
workplace). In contrast to the classroom situation Will focused on.
• Other psychological variables
Here we shall see the effect of
other individual factors such as what the person's first language is, and how
the motivation, attitude, and other individual factors may affect learning.
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