Language and the brain
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Transcript of Language and the brain
Language and the brain Introduction to Linguistics
Language + brain =
The brain http://www.g2conline.org/2022
Physical features of the brain
Language centers
Language centers
Producing a spoken word
Hearing a word
Reading a word
How the brain works
• The brain is composed of neurons.– Neurons are the basic units of information
processing in the nervous system.– There are about 10 billion interconnected
neurons.
LATERALIZATION OF BRAIN HEMISPHERES
Contralateral
Split brain experiments
• The two hemispheres of the brain is connected by corpus callosum.
• The function of corpus callosum– To commute the info between the two sides of the
brain.
What would happen if corpus callosum is cut? • Play the split brain experiments game
at http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/split-brain/index.html
Aphasia
Aphasia
• A language disorder produced by brain damage
• Major types – Broca’s aphasia– Wernike’s aphasia
Broca’s aphasia (Expressive aphasia)• Symptoms
– Unable to express themselves by more than a single word at a time
– Content words are ok; function words are not
– “Yes... ah... Monday... er... Dad and Peter H... and Dad.... er... hospital... and ah... Wednesday... Wednesday, nine o'clock... and oh... Thursday... ten o'clock, ah doctors... two... an' doctors... and er... teeth... yah’”
• Damaged area– The front regions of the left hemisphere
Wernike’s aphasia
• Symptoms – Fluent speech with no informational value– Comprehension is impaired.
• “I called my mother on the television and did not understand the door. It was too breakfast, but they came from far to near. My mother is not too old for me to be young.”
• Damaged area– Temporal lobe of the left hemisphere
Broca vs. Wernicke
• Broca’s aphasia– Prevents a person
from producing speech
– Person can understand language
– Words are not properly formed
– Speech is slow and slurred.
• Wernicke’s aphasia– Loss of the ability to
understand language– Person can speak
clearly but the words that are put together make no sense.
Conduction aphasia
• No connection between Broca’s area and Wernike’s area
• Symptoms– Be able to understand and produce speech, but
cannot repeat what they have just heard.
Dyslexia
• Dyslexia – The impairment of reading ability
• Symptoms • Problems with spelling• Reading difficulties • Difficulties in recognizing individual sounds in
words• Difficulties in naming things.• Problems organizing in the right order
Brain plasticity
• The ability of the brain to reorganize the neural pathways based on new experiences.– The environment plays an important role.
• The implications on learning?
QUESTIONS?