Language - University of West Florida

Language:
Comprehension, Production, &
Bilingualism
Dr. Claudia J. Stanny
EXP 4507
Memory & Cognition
Spring 2009
Overview
• Role of psycholinguistics in the history of
cognitive psychology
• Comprehension
• Cognitive factors
• Social factors
• Producing language
• Speaking
• Writing
Claudia J. Stanny
2
Comprehending Sentences
•
•
•
•
Negation
Passive voice
Nested sentences
Ambiguous sentences
Comprehending discourse
• Create an integrated representation (scri
Claudia J. Stanny
3
Comprehending Discourse
• Create an integrated representation of text
• Role of schemas and scripts
• Construct mental models
• Making inferences
• Use semantic knowledge
• Metacomprehension
• Monitor understanding and adjust reading
strategy
• Monitor level of attention to the reading task
Claudia J. Stanny
4
Producing Sentences
Linearization problem
Prosody
Speech errors: Slips of the tongue
Claudia J. Stanny
5
Producing Discourse
Narrative structure
• Overview
• Summary of characters and setting
• Action that complicates the situation
• Point of the story
• Resolution of the story
• Signal that the story is ended
Claudia J. Stanny
6
APA Style as Narrative Structure
Abstract
Introduction
Method
•
•
•
•
Participants
Materials
Design
Procedure
Results
Discussion
References
Claudia J. Stanny
7
Pragmatics
Social Context of Speech
• Common ground
• Lexical entrainment
• Directives
Claudia J. Stanny
8
Grice (1975) Maxims for Conversation
Guidelines for cooperation among speakers to make a
conversation intelligible
Quantity
• Provide the right amount of information for the audience.
• Provide enough detail to be informative without providing excess
detail.
Quality
• Provide accurate information.
• Do not intentionally mislead, make false statements, or statements
that can not be supported by evidence
Relevance
• Provide only information that is relevant to goals or the direction of
the conversation
Manner
• Clarity, organization, avoid ambiguity
Modifications of Grice’s Maxims
Adapting maxims to other forms of
communication:
Formal written communication
Electronic media
Non-Gricean discourse:
Deceit, long-windedness, obscurity
Deliberate violations of a maxim to make a point
Claudia J. Stanny
10
Implications for Writers
• Think of your writing as a conversation
• Absence of the conversation partner means you will not have
opportunities to fix misunderstandings
• Know your audience and write for this audience
• Who are you writing for and why are you writing?
• What is the right level of detail for this audience?
• What are the goals of your writing (what are you trying to say?)
• Create common ground, build on this in your writing
• Establish the topic and initial common knowledge
• Clearly connect new text to this established context
• Write as clearly and plainly as possible
• Provide adequate and appropriate support for your
claims and assertions
Claudia J. Stanny
11
Bilingualism
Acquisition of a second language increases
expertise in first language
Metalinguistic skill improvements
Increased sensitivity to pragmatics of language
General improvements in concept formation
and measures of creativity
Issues related to age of acquisition of a second
language
Claudia J. Stanny
12