Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Components of Language

Components of Language

Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs. “eh”). Phonemes combine to...

Language and Cognition

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...

Language

Language

Language is a unique communication system that uses words and systematic rules to organize and transmit information. Unlike other forms of communication, which may involve postures, movements, odors, or vocalizations, language relies on symbols and grammar. This makes human communication distinct from that of other species, who also communicate but do not use language in the same way humans do.
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...

Language Development

Language Development

Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...

Encoding

Encoding

Information enters the brain through encoding, which is the input of information into the memory system. Once sensory information is received from the environment, the brain labels or codes it. The information is then organized with similar information and connected to existing concepts. Encoding occurs through automatic processing and effortful processing.
Automatic processing involves the encoding of details like time, space, frequency, and the meaning of words, usually done without conscious...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Transposition Effects in an Aksharic Writing System: The Case of Hindi.

Language and speech·2020

Same author

Phonetic drift in Spanish-English bilinguals: Experiment and a self-organizing model.

Journal of phonetics·2019

Same author

"Perception of the speech code" revisited: Speech is alphabetic after all.

Psychological review·2015

Same author

Seeking a reading machine for the blind and discovering the speech code.

History of psychology·2014

Same author

Information for coarticulation: Static signal properties or formant dynamics?

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2014

Same author

Talking as doing: Language forms and public language.

New ideas in psychology·2013

Same journal

Affordance-Based Surgical Design Methods Considering Biomechanical Artifacts.

Ecological psychology : a publication of the International Society for Ecological Psychology·2023

Same journal

How Interpersonal Coordination Affects Individual Behavior (and Vice Versa): Experimental analysis and adaptive HKB model of social memory.

Ecological psychology : a publication of the International Society for Ecological Psychology·2020

Same journal

Direct Perceptions of Carol Fowler's Theoretical Perspective.

Ecological psychology : a publication of the International Society for Ecological Psychology·2017

Same journal

Articulating What Infants Attune to in Native Speech.

Ecological psychology : a publication of the International Society for Ecological Psychology·2017

Same journal

PERCEPTUAL ORGANIZATION AND LAWFUL SPECIFICATION.

Ecological psychology : a publication of the International Society for Ecological Psychology·2016

Same journal

Building Tool Use From Object Manipulation: A Perception-Action Perspective.

Ecological psychology : a publication of the International Society for Ecological Psychology·2015

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language

Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language

Published on: October 13, 2018

Embodied, Embedded Language Use.

Carol A Fowler¹

¹Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Haskins Laboratories.

Ecological Psychology : a Publication of the International Society for Ecological Psychology

|January 19, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study explores the public aspect of language, emphasizing how spoken sounds must be reliably identifiable for communication. It highlights the role of phonetic gestures and listener embodiment in achieving this "parity" for effective language exchange.

More Related Videos

Examining Gesture Production in the Presence of Communication Challenges

Examining Gesture Production in the Presence of Communication Challenges

Published on: January 26, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language

Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language

Published on: October 13, 2018

Examining Gesture Production in the Presence of Communication Challenges

Examining Gesture Production in the Presence of Communication Challenges

Published on: January 26, 2024

Area of Science:

Linguistics
Psycholinguistics
Phonetics

Background:

Language study often focuses on private psycholinguistic aspects, neglecting the public, interpersonal functions of speech.
Effective communication relies on the reliable identification of spoken language forms by listeners, a concept termed the 'parity' constraint.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the public face of language, particularly the 'parity' constraint in phonology.
To explore how phonetic gestures and listener embodiment contribute to the identifiability of spoken language.

Main Methods:

Analysis of phonetic gestures as embodied language forms.
Examination of the role of listener embodiment and environmental context in communication.
Study of how sound inventories emerge under the parity constraint over time.

Main Results:

Spoken language forms are embodied as phonetic gestures that structure informational media.
Communicative activities extend beyond vocal tract actions to include gestures, facial expressions, and environmental recruitment.
Interlocutors mutually entrain, using language as a coordination device.

Conclusions:

The 'parity' constraint is crucial for spoken language to serve its communicative purpose.
Language understanding is embodied, influencing listener behavior and interaction.
Successful communication involves a dynamic interplay of vocalizations, non-verbal cues, and environmental context.