Understanding Sentences
What are Semantics?
The meaning of words in sentences.
Broca's Aphasia is characterized by the omission of function words and bound morphemes. What does this mean?
Function Words:
The boy kicked the girl = boy / kicked / girl
The boy was kicked by the girl = boy / kicked / girl
Bound Morphemes:
e.g., -ly, -ing, -ed
What is discourse?
Units of language (spoken or written) larger than a sentence.
What do inferences do for narrative coherence?
Inferences enhance narrative coherence so that you can understand a text.
What is the Situation Model?
Mental representation of what a text is about
What is Syntax?
The rules for combining words into sentences
Wernicke's Aphasia is characterized by fluent, but nonsensical speech, which can include neologisms and semantic paraphasias. What are neologisms and semantic paraphasias?
Neologism: invented words
Semantic Paraphasia: a type of word substitution error where a person says a word with a similar meaning to the intended one (“my mother” for “my wife”)
How do we process discourse?
Like syntactic processing--a way of organizing/connecting the different pieces in to larger chunks larger than sentences.
Inferences require you to bring in ____ __________.
prior knowledge
What sort of events are represented mentally under the Situation Model? What are not represented?
People, objects, locations, events--not phrases, sentences, etc.
What area of the brain are Semantics (language comprehension) processed in?
Wernicke's Area: Posterior section of the Left Superior Temporal Gyrus (WA-PLSTG)
People with Wernicke's Aphasia are typically aware/unaware of any deficits in language.
unaware
How do people use inferences to process discourse?
Inferences are used in determining what discourse means by using prior knowledge to go beyond the information provided in the works or text.
Describe an Anaphoric Inference. Give an example.
An inference that connects an object or person in one sentence or clause to an object or person in another sentence or clause.
According to the Situation Model, if we understand sentences by creating situation models that simulate the perceptual and motor characteristics described, it should be _____ (_____) to decide the object is described if it matches the situation.
easier (faster)
What area of the brain is Syntax (language production) processed in?
Broca's Area: Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus (BA-LIFG)
The repetition, naming, and reading and writing of people with Wernicke's and Broca's aphasia are _____ or _________.
poor; impaired
What is a narrative?
Texts or speech in which there is a story that progresses from one event to another.
Describe an Instrument Inference. Give an Example.
An inference about tools or methods that occurs while reading text or listening to speech.
According to the Situation Model, the phrase "he hammered the nail into the wall" is most likely to be associated with an image of a vertical/horizontal nail.
Horizontal
What is Aphasia?
A communication/language disorder caused by damage to the brain.
Broca's Area is located at the left ______ _______ gyrus.
Wernicke's Area is located at the left _________ ________ gyrus.
Broca's Area is located at the left inferior frontal gyrus.
Wernicke's Area is located at the left superior temporal gyrus.
What is coherence?
The representation of text or speech in a person’s mind that creates clear relations between parts of the text/speech and between parts of the text/speech and the main topic of the story.
Describe a Causal Inference. Give an Example.
An inference that results in the conclusion that the events described in one clause or sentence were caused by events that occurred in a previous clause or sentence.
We create __________ that match the situation as we read. We use __________ to create these situation models.
perceptions; inferences