class notes

CONNECTIONISM

• Models learning with neural networks (uses artificial neural networks (computer simulations) to explain learning from the input (the environment)

• A neural network: a large number of units joined together in a pattern of connections

1. Typological and functional approach

1. Typological (language universal – similarities and differences between the languages)

• Linguistic diversity is constrained by universals of human language: in order to discover constraints on possible human languages we need to conduct cross-linguistic comparisons

• They are looking for patterns! – syllable structures, rhythmic patterns, intonation patterns, vowel systems, voiced/voiceless obstruent, word order

• Studies frequency – what is more/less common?

• Universal tendencies can be generalized across unrelated and geographically non-adjacent languages

• Concept of markedness

• Structural conformity hypothesis!!

• Universals of primary languages apply also on interlanguages

• Markedness differenctial hypothesis – L2 difficulty can be predicted on the basis of the markedness relationships that hold among the differences between the NL and TL (studies the features that are different and more marked in L2 than in L1) the degree in markedness -> degree of difficulty

• All three test cases used in test!! Understand it

• Accessibility hierarchy

• Resumptive pronoun – neither Czech nor English have it

1. Functional approach (how language functions, grammaticalization)

1. The Multilingual Mind

• From DST perspective – the distinction between second language and multilingual processing more or less disappears – the system is reacting to external input and its entire organisation, including L1, changes with new input

• 15 speech sounds per second (2-3 words) – the normal language user’s production and understanding of speech involves the highly skilled coordination of myriad processes

How we study “the processor?”

• Verbal fluency task (giving category and they must tell as much word as possible – animals, baking, colours)

• Lexical decision task – whether words are words or not

• Bilingual disadvantage – bilingual language processing is slower

• First – concept, then we are looking for the fight word, pronunciation happens after construction only a few words (segments), not after constructing the whole sentence

Levelt’s speaking blueprint (1993)

1. The conceptualiser – planning what to say

• Conception of illocutionary intention, speaker will decide on a speech act and select information whose expression can realize that purpose

• The speaker has to solve the linearization problem – we have to decide what to say first, next = macroplanning

• Microplanning = taking perspective of describing a picture (flower on the table x table under the flowers)

• Output – pre-verbal message

1. Formulator – encoding the message

• Pre-verbal message is turned into verbal/lexical message

• Lemma – conceptual, semantic information x lexeme – phonological forms associated with lemma

• Problems – wrong lemma can be selecting, multiples lemmas may be selected (blend errors – two lemmas are activated and blednded into one)

• Grammatical encoding – lexically driven, it entails two procedures