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 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...

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...

Levels of Communication II: Organizational, Public, and Group Dynamics

Levels of Communication II: Organizational, Public, and Group Dynamics

Effective communication is the foundation of a good organization. Communication is the lifeblood of an organization that connects the group with messages. In an organization, communication occurs in upward, downward, and horizontal lines. Downward communication travels from the administrative and senior levels to the staff through official channels such as manuals, rules and regulations, and organizational charts. Staff members initiate upward communication, which is addressed to executives and...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Carrying children, groceries, and water across varying terrain: Changes in gait and comfortable walking speed.

Gait & posture·2023

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

Lifting, tasting, and carrying: The interaction of magnitude and valence effects in time perception.

Acta psychologica·2018

Same author

We agree and we disagree, which is exactly what most people do most of the time.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2017

Same author

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

Psychological review·2015

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 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

New Affordances for Language: Distributed, Dynamical, and Dialogical Resources.

Bert H Hodges¹, Carol A Fowler

¹Department of Psychology, Gordon College and Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut.

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

|February 5, 2013

Summary

This study explores the fundamental, often overlooked, aspects of language, emphasizing its context-sensitive, embodied, and social nature. Conversing involves real work and coaction, deepening our understanding of perception and action.

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: May 14, 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:

Cognitive Science
Linguistics
Philosophy of Language

Background:

The special issue stems from the "Grounding Language in Perception and (Inter) Action" conference.
Fundamental aspects of speaking and listening are frequently overlooked in research.

Purpose of the Study:

To reflect on the core characteristics of human conversation.
To explore the embodied and social dimensions of language use.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis of conversational properties.
Interdisciplinary reflection drawing from cognitive science, linguistics, and philosophy.

Main Results:

Conversation is characterized by context sensitivity, interdependency, impredicativity, irreversibility, and responsibility.
Language involves "real work" across physical, social, and moral orders, distributed across various scales.
Language is fundamentally social, public, embodied, and dialogical, representing a form of coaction.

Conclusions:

Understanding language as embodied, social coaction offers deeper insights into direct perception and specific action.
Language actively "locates" individuals within social and physical contexts.