LIN 201

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LIN 201

• Fall 2006
• Lecture V (5)
• Language and the Brain II

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Reminder

• Quiz 1 in Recitation this week covering material
  through today.

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Schedule change

• The time for the Review Session for Exam I has
  been changed to Fri., 9/22, 330-500. The place
  is Kittredge Auditorium (basement of HBC).

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Studying for the quiz and exam (1)

• Four sources of material
• 1. Readings.
• 2. Lecture.
• 3. Tapes.
• 4. Recitation.

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Studying for the quiz and exam (2)

• If a topic is covered in all four sources (e.g.,
  arbitrariness, infinity), its likely to be on
  the exam in some form.

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Studying for the quiz and exam (3)

• Organize your knowledge in terms of Claim,
  Evidence, and Examples wherever possible. Try to
  understand why a piece of evidence is evidence
  for its related claim, how the examples are
  related, etc.

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Agenda

• 1. Video The Two Brains (concl.)
• 2. Functions of the two hemispheres.
• 3. Modularity of the mind.
• 4. Video A Very Special Brain (Williams
  Syndrome)

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Agenda

• 2. Video The Two Brains Questions on pp. 35-37
  of the Course Reader.
• Split-brain patient (Vicki).
• Aphasic (Charles Landry).
• Loss of face recognition (Paulette)

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Agenda

• 1. Functions of the two hemispheres of the human
  brain.

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Hemisphere processing

• Left Logical, Analytic, Speech and Language,
  Calculation.
• Right Spatial, Intuitive, Relational,
  Visualization, Art and Music.

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Agenda

• 2. The modularity of the mind/brain in general
  and the autonomy of language in particular.

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Moduarity of the mind (1)

• module A component of a system having a defined
  function within that system.

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Modularity of the mind (2)

• Two possible claims about the mind/brain
• 1. The mind/brain is a single, undifferentiated
  information-processing system.
• 2. The mind/brain is made up of different
  modules, each of which processes information of a
  particular, special kind.

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Modularity of the mind (3)

• Claim The mind includes some modular elements.
• Some claimed modules of the human mind
• language.
• face recognition.
• general vision.
• music.
• etc.

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Modularity of the mind (4)

• An analogy
• The body is made up of physical organs heart,
  lungs, kidneys, ...
• The mind is made up of mental organs (modules)
  language, vision, face recognition,

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Autonomy of language Evidence (1)

• Evidence (1) -- Differential impairment There
  are cases in which the language capacity is
  impaired, when other capacities are intact.
• Examples -- aphasia, Specific Language Impairment
  (FR).

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Autonomy of language Evidence (2)

• Evidence (2) -- Differential impairment There
  are cases in which the language capacity is
  intact, when other capacities are impaired.
• Examples -- Laura, Christopher, Turner and
  Williams syndromes (FR).

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Modularity Summary

• Claim Language is autonomous from other mental
  capacities.
• Evidence -- differential impairment
• 1. Language impaired, other mental capacities
  intact.
• 2. Language intact, other mental capacities
  impaired.

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Modularity within language use

• Syntax and appropriateness
• Laura (FR, pp. 50-51) --
• Researcher How do you earn your money?
• Laura Well, we were taking a walkand there was
  this giant, like, my mother threw a stick.

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Agenda

• 4. Video A Very Special Brain (Williams
  Syndrome) Questions on p. 39 of the Course Reader.