Psychology Module 25: Language

• Language is the communication of information through symbols arranged according to systematic rules.  All languages have grammar–a system of rules that determines how our thoughts can be expressed–that encompasses the three major components of language: phonology, syntax, and semantics.
• Language production, which follows language comprehension, develops out of babbling, which then leads to the production of actual words. After one year of age, children use two-word combinations, increase their vocabulary, and use telegraphic speech. which drops words not critical to the message. By age five, acquisition of language rules is relatively complete.
• Learning theorists suggest that language is acquired through reinforcement and conditioning. In contrast, Chomsky and other linguist suggest that an innate language-acquisition device guides the development of language.
• The linguistic-relativity hypothesis suggests that language shapes and may determine the way people think about the world. Most evidence suggests that although language does not determine thought, it does affect the way people store information in memory and how well they can retrieve it.
• The degree to which language is a uniquely human skill remains an open question. Some psychologists contend that even though certain primates communicate at a high level, those animals do not use language; other psychologists suggest that those primates truly  understand and produce language in much the same way as humans.
• People who speak more than one language may have a cognitive advantage over those who speak only one.

Language and Mocha

Learning a foreign language becomes easier to some and difficult to others, however everyone can do it. The most important thing is to really want to learn it. Whether the impetus for motivation comes from a business trip, a vacation or move to a different country, a partner who speaks the language, needing to know it for a career, or just because it’s effective to keep inspiration and motivation at the forefront of the mind. I have hunted ways on how to learn French via the internet. I tried watching video from YouTube and it seems helpful since I have acquired a few set of expressions. I’ve also tried online translation sites and they are quite useful.

But I have to say that Livemocha is the best language learning tool I’ve ever found on the Internet. It makes learning a new language really plain sailing. This is coming from someone who always fantasized about learning to speak in French. I could say that Livemocha is doing a good job of helping people like me to have a grasp of the language we are interested about. The best part is that you can work at your own pace, when you have the time. It’s always there, waiting for you. If you want to redo a section, you can. Take it slow or work as swift as you want. Another great thing I love about Livemocha is that you can add friends and submit your exercises to them for review. It makes the learning situation interactive and collaborative in nature. Learning through Livemocha is engaging and fun. Almost as if you were just playing casino. Putting that into analogy it’s like there is an online casino guide that could help you all throughout.

I can’t stress it enough that learning another language is beneficial and yet challenging. It’s great to know that there are ample ways to learn language. But still, the best way to learn it is to sleep with a native. 😉