Apr 23, 2024  
2018-19 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2018-19 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

PY 4350 - Psychology of Language

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The course is about understanding how we humans can do language at all. Many scholars defend the proposition that language is a (or the primary) characteristic that distinguishes humans (Homo sapiens) from all other species. This suggests that humans possess unique cognitive and neurological mechanisms that enable ordinary language acquisition and use.  The overarching task then is to understand what these mechanisms are and how they interact to enable the enormous creative potential that language mediates. Principal topics include: acquisition, comprehension, production of language, and the relationship of language to thought.  Speech perception, discourse processing, and the biological foundations of language receive substantial time.  Reading, sign language, conversational interaction, cultural influences on language, and language and pathology also receive treatment. PY 4350 is a writing-intensive course designed for advanced students.

Prerequisite: PY 1000  or PY 1100 , and six hours of upper-division psychology.