AP®︎ Psychology: Topic 3.5 Flashcards

A shared, rule-governed system of arbitrary symbols that can generate indefinitely many meaningful messages

The smallest distinctive sound unit in a spoken language; phonemes distinguish sounds but usually carry no meaning themselves

The smallest language unit that carries meaning, either as an independent word or a meaningful word part

The meanings of words and morphemes and how their meanings combine in phrases and sentences

The overall system of rules governing how a language’s units may be combined and interpreted

The part of grammar governing the permissible arrangement of words and phrases in sentences

The capacity to recombine a limited set of language units and rules to express an effectively unlimited number of novel ideas

Prelinguistic movements such as reaching, showing, or pointing that intentionally communicate requests or direct attention

An early vocal stage, usually around 2–4 months, consisting mainly of prolonged vowel-like sounds

An early vocal stage, usually prominent around 6–10 months, involving repeated consonant-vowel combinations such as “da-da.”

The stage, typically around 12–18 months, when a child uses one meaningful conventional word to communicate a larger idea

Brief early word combinations, often beginning around 18–24 months, that retain key content words while omitting many function words and grammatical markers

Applying a general language rule to an exception, as in “breaked” or “sheeps.”

The conveyance of information from one person to another through language or nonverbal signals such as facial expressions, posture, vocalizations, or gestures