The definition of language is complex to explain but is necessary to
understand how human animals communicate. The definition of cognitive
psychology makes implications about language. Lexicon also plays a key role in
language. Language has several features necessary for an individual to understand
it. To understand the role of language processing in cognitive psychology an
individual must analyze this role and needs an understanding of the definition
of cognitive psychology.
Language and Lexicon
Language
Language is a complex process and a form of communication
integrated with thoughts. The communication of thoughts is through the method
of language. The definition of cognitive psychology is the study of mental
processes, such as perceiving, thinking, believing, problem solving,
remembering, speaking, decision making, learning, and reasoning implies that
language influences cognitive processes. Therefore, what an individual or human
animal learns and interprets through language and the ability of language is a cognitive
process that separates human animals from nonhuman animals. Language is
communicative, arbitrary, structured, generative, and dynamic.
Lexicon
A lexicon is a mental dictionary. A lexicon contains several
representations of known words and those representations include spelling, part
of speech for each word, and pronunciation. A lexicon aids
individuals in a matching process of spoken words and those word’s meanings. Therefore,
individuals recognize words through this matching process because spoken words
are comparable with a lexicon (a mental dictionary). A lexicon is a key aspect
important for an individual’s use of language.
Key Features of Language
Language’s key features are the properties that make it communicative,
arbitrary, structured, generative, and dynamic. As for communicative, language
simply allows individuals to communicate with each other. As for arbitrary,
Willingham (2007), “the relationship between the elements in the language and
their meaning is arbitrary” (p. 411). A key feature of symbols is
arbitrariness. As for structure, the structure of language means that the
pattern of symbols is not arbitrary. The structure of
language shows exactly how complex it is. As for generative, an individual can
build a limitless number of meanings from language’s (words) basic units. As
for dynamic, language is constantly changing, therefore it is not static.
Willingham, (2007), “it is changing constantly as new words are added and as
the rules of grammar (slowly and subtly) change” (411). These features or properties
are usually critical to language.
Other Features of Language
Developmentally
Special
Language is developmentally special for instance because children can
learn it differently from learning any other skills (Willingham, 2007). Evidence
points to the preparedness of human brains to learn language with comparatively
little incitement. The evidence that supports this point of view is the worldwide
consistency of language learning. Worldwide children proceeded through
identical stages of language development, which is in agreement with the thought
that the process of learning language is basically innate. Children also have a
tendency to make the same errors in learning language, such as overextension
and overregularization. Overextension is how children use known words for
numerous referents when stating more than their limited vocabulary allows (Willingham,
2007). Overregularization refers to how children apply linguistic rules to
exception words when that rule does not apply. Language is highly complex, but
it has key features that make it unique, such as it is developmentally special.
Uniquely
Human
Another feature of language is that it is uniquely human. Language
is communicative, structured, arbitrary, dynamic, and generative, and the
majority of animal (nonhuman animals) communication systems are only
communicative. Therefore, animals can communicate, but they cannot use language
however certain animals possess the ability to understand language. Only humans
(human animals) possess the ability to use language. Languages are uniquely
human.
Influences
Other Cognitive Processes
One last feature of language is that it influences other cognitive
processes; specifically language influences thought. Language influences
thought, language determines thought, and a thought cannot be a thought without
language. Language influences thoughts because uttered words that an individual
may say leads to a different thought in his or her mind. Therefore, what an
individual thinks affects what he or she says and what he or she says affects
how he or she thinks. Language definitely influences thought;
making the two intertwined.
Four Levels of Language Structure and Processing
Phonemes
In spoken languages phonemes are the smallest units or sounds used
by individuals to form words. Phonemes are individual speech sounds, which are roughly
equivalent to the letters of the alphabet. Worldwide there
are nearly 200 phonemes in use but roughly only 46 in use in English. Individuals
can perceive phonemes very rapidly in accelerated speech; nearly 50 phonemes
per second (Willingham, 2007). The perception of phonemes is difficult. One
difficulty is that the production of phonemes is different for individual speakers.
Another difficulty is phoneme production differs between speakers and for an
individual speaker.
Words
Mechanisms, such as words help an individual’s perceptual system
make logical sense of spoken phonemes. Willingham (2007), “the 46 English
phonemes are combined in various ways to produce all of the approximately
600,000 words in the English language” (p. 414). Certain rules are in place
concerning the combination of phonemes and concerning exactly where phonemes
may appear in a word.
Sentences
A sentence is the arrangements of words, which allows an
individual to construct thoughts when trying to write or speak or write. The context
of a sentence assists an individual in deducing what missing phoneme is
necessary (Willingham, 2007). To a certain extent the order of phonemes effects
the correct construction of words and word order is important in grammatical
sentence construction.
Texts
A text or texts are groups of connected sentences that form a paragraph
or paragraphs, which explain a certain subject. Those sentences have to be
about the same subject. It is also necessary for texts to have a logical
connection, therefore making sentences logically connected to each, which
continues a certain idea. Phonemes, words, sentences, and texts are a necessity
of language.
Analyzing the Role of Language Processing in Cognitive Psychology
To analyze language processing and the role it plays in cognitive
psychology an individual must first understand that cognitive psychology is the
study of mental processes. These mental processes include perceiving, thinking,
believing, problem solving, remembering, speaking, decision making, learning,
and reasoning. With these mental processes an individual can
understand language and understand the process of how language works. Without
understanding how the structure of language works an individual cannot
understand sounds such as the phonemes, words, sentences, and texts that make language
possible. Without the proper understanding one cannot understand language’s
semantics, therefore an individual cannot use language to communicate. The role
of processing language in cognitive psychology determines the comprehension of sentences.
What an individual learns and interprets through language and the ability of
language ability is a cognitive process.
Conclusion
Language is a cognitive process that separates human animals from
other life forms, such as nonhuman animals. A lexicon contains representations
of known words and not the meanings but do contain the spellings,
pronunciations, and part of speech for each word. Language has several key features.
Language is a complex process, which is communicative, arbitrary, structured,
generative, dynamic, and it is developmentally special, uniquely human, and
language influences other cognitive processes. By understanding these key
features of language an individual gains a better understanding of the effects
and necessity of language. The levels of language’s structure and processing
consist of phonemes, words, sentences, and texts. Understanding the definition
of cognitive psychology is critical to analyzing the role of language
processing. Language is a key aspect of cognitive psychology.
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