Psychology of Language

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

The purpose of this course is to provide a comprehensive overview of the structure of language and the processes that allow us to learn, comprehend and produce our own language. Firstly, we will review the structure of language in each of the traditional areas of linguistic analysis (phonology, semantics, syntax/morphology, and pragmatics) in order to fully understand the characteristics of human language that contribute to its hierarchical organization and interactivity. Secondly, the course will provide an overview of typical language processing in children and adults. Topics will include how children and adults learn and process sounds, words, sentences, and communicative norms. The class will include theories of lexical access and word production, sentence comprehension and production, types of inferences made in natural discourse, and the nature of linguistic representation. Finally, experimental methods and analysis tools commonly used in language research will be covered. (Prerequisite: PSYC 1000 )