语言学单元自测9

I. Decide whether each of the following statements is

True

or

False

.

⒈

The

linguistic

ability

of

human

beings

depends

primarily

on

the

structure

of

the

vocal

cords.

⒉

Human beings are the only organisms in which one particular part of the left half of the

brain is larger than the corresponding part of the right half.

case of Phineas Gage suggests that if our language ability is located in the brain

，

it is

clear that it is not situated right at the front.

⒋

In general

，

the right side of the brain controls voluntary movements of

，

and responds to

signals from

，

the left side of the body

，

whereas the left side controls voluntary movements of

，

and responds to signals from

，

the right side of the body.

ge functions are believed to be lateralized primarily in the left hemisphere of the

brain.

language

we

speak

determines

the

way

we

perceive

the

world

and

therefore

the

nature of thought.

beings

can

not

think

without

language

，

just

as

they

can

not

speak

without

thinking.

a language lacks a word

，

its speakers will not be able to grasp its concept.

lly speaking

，

left hemisphere is responsible for language and speech

，

analytic

reasoning

，

associative thought

，

etc.

，

while the right hemisphere is responsible for perception

of nonlinguistic sounds

，

holistic reasoning

，

recognition of musical melodies

，

etc.

ge by no means determines the ways we perceive the objective world

，

but by its

convenience

，

availability

，

and habitual use

，

does influence the perceptions of human being.

II. Fill in each of the blanks below with one word which begins with the letter given.

11.

P_________ is the study of language in relation to the mind.

most

important

part

of

the

brain

is

the

outside

surface

of

the

brain

，

called

the

cerebral c_________

，

which is the decision

-

making organ of the body.

brain is divided into two roughly symmetrical halves

，

called h_________

，

one on

the right and one on the left.

localization of cognitive and perceptual functions in a particular side of the brain is

called l__________.

lateralization is g__________ programmed

，

but takes time to develop.

addition

to

the

m________

area

which

is

responsible

for

physical

articulation

of

utterances

，

three areas of the left hemisphere are vital to language

，

namely

，

Broca’s area

，

Wernicke’s area and the angular gyrus.

relationship

between

the

name

and

the

meaning

of

a

word

is

quite

a______________.

language

and

thought

are

identical

or

closely

parallel

to

each

other

，

we

may

regard thought as s________ speech and speech as o__________ thought.

e

languages

differ

in

many

ways

，

Whorf

believed

that

speakers

of

different

languages perceive and experience the world differently

，

relative to their linguistic background.

This notion is called linguistic r__________.

basic essentials of the first language are acquired in the short period from about age

two to puberty

，

which is called the c____ period for first language acquisition.

strong version of Sapir

-

Whorf hypothesis has two aspects

：

linguistic d_______ and

linguistic relativism.

III.

There

are

four

choices

following

each

statement.

Mark

the

choice

that

can

best

complete the statement.

22.

Human linguistic ability largely depends on the structure and dynamics of _________.

A. human brain

C. human memory

B. human vocal cords

D. human

logists

，

neurologists and linguists have concluded that

，

in addition to the motor

area which is responsible for physical articulation of utterances

，

three areas of the left brain are

vital to language

，

namely

，

_______.

A. Broca

’

s area

，

Wernicke

’

s area and the angular gyrus

B. Broca

’

s area

，

Wernicke

’

s area and cerebral cortex

C. Broca

’

s area

，

Wernicke

’

s area and neurons

D. Broca

’

s area

，

Wernicke

’

s area and Exner

’

s area

____ age for the acquisition of the first language coincides with the period of brain

lateralization.

A. youngest

C. optimum

A. fossilization

C. competence

A. chemical

C. scientific

B. flexible

D. relevant

B. performance

D. lateralization

B. physical

D. biological

25. Linguistic ____ is the brain’s neurological specialization for language.

26. Our linguistic ability is a ________ gift of the species’ gene program.

27.________shows that if our language ability is located in the brain

，

it is clear that it is not

situated right at the front of the brain.

A. The case of Genie

C. The componential analysis

B. The case of Phineas Gage

D. The contrastive analysis

most

important

part

of

the

brain

is

the

outside

surface

of

the

brain

，

called

_________.

A. the neurons

C. cerebral cortex

B. nerve pathways

D. sensory organs

ing to lateralization theory

，

which of the following is not the primary function of

the left hemisphere of the brain

？

A. analytic reasoning

C. associative thought

B. temporal ordering

D. visual and spatial skills

30._______

is

commonly

held

to

be

an

evolutionary

precondition

of

the

development

of

superior intelligence as well as a precondition of language acquisition.

A. Lateralization

C. Brain separation

B. Maturation

D. Memory capacity

dichotic

listening

research

shows

that

the

left

hemisphere

is

not

superior

for

processing all sounds

，

but only for those that are ________ in nature.

A. non

-

linguistic

C. linguistic

B. musical

D. natural

32.

_______ is responsible for physical articulation of utterances.

A. The motor area

C. Wernicke

’

s area

B. Broca

’

s area

D. The angular gyrus

ge

disorder

resulting

from

a

damage

to

_________

in

the

brain

reveals

word

-

finding difficulties and problems with syntax.

A. the motor area

C. Wernicke

’

s area

B. Broca

’

s area

D. the angular gyrus

1874

，

the young German physician Carl Wernicke published his discovery in a paper

which contributed to the hypothesis that __________.

A. there was only one language area in the left brain

B. there was no language area in the left brain

C. there was one language area in the right brain

D. there was more than one language area in the left brain

35.__________ is the language center primarily responsible for converting a visual stimulus

into an auditory form and vice versa.

A. The motor area

C. Wernicke

’

s area

B. Broca

’

s area

D. The angular gyrus

neurobiologist Eric Lenneberg is a major proponent of the idea that ________.

A. there is a distinction between acquisition and learning

B. there is a critical period for language acquisition

C. language influences thinking

D. there is interrelationship between language and thinking

case of Genie shows that ____________.

A. language can not be acquired at all after the critical period

B. Cerebral plasticity after puberty is still high enough to for a successful mastery

of a new language

C. the language faculty of an average human degenerates after the critical period

D. the language learning should be done as early as possible

IV Explain the following terms.

38.???? psycholinguistics

41.???? Broca's area

44.????

determinism

47.????

lateralization

50.????

hypothesis

39.???? brain lateralization

42.???? angular gyms

40.???? dichotic listening

43.???? cerebral plasticity

46.???? cerebral cortex

49.????

critical

hypothesis

period

linguistic

45.???? sub

-

vocal speech

linguistic

48.???? right ear advantage

Sapir

-

Whorf

51.???? linguistic relativism

52.???? overt thought

53.????

intrapersonal

54.????

interpersonal

communication

communication

V. Answer the following questions.

55.

What are the biological foundations of language

？

56.

What are the major mental functions under the control of each hemisphere

？

57.

What can we do by means of dichotic listening tests

？