Reflect on the readings. Do you have any questions about the texts? Are there any claims that you find problematic? Do you think language is a purely biological phenomenon? What parts of the brain are most important for the production and comprehension of speech? How do you conceptualize or process meaning? Do these readings inspire any special insights or motivations that could help advance your foreign-language abilities, retention, and recollection?
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I found it fascinating to learn more about the biological aspects of language learning. While I had previously studied the different parts of the brain and their functions, I had never explored how these areas are specifically linked to language.
The Wernicke’s area is responsible for the ability to comprehend speech while the Broca’s area is responsible for the ability to speak. While biology certainly plays a significant role, I don’t believe that language is purely a biological phenomenon. I never considered the way I conceptualized or processed meaning so it was interesting to think about while reading the text. In the text, Crystal discusses how there have been discussions for many years about how people interpret the meaning of words. As mentioned in the text, I think context is really important in meaning. Of course, the context for people varies depending on many factors like where they’ve grown up, what culture they follow, etc. Ludwig Wittgenstein says, “[…] language can’t refer directly to an internal state. Instead, it can only refer to the aspect of it that’s publicly observable by other people.” Learning more about how the brain processes language and learning more about how different factors affect meaning was very interesting and insightful. I will be using what I learned through these readings to better my learning plan to understand Korean more deeply.
As a Scrabble enthusiast, it was also nice to get a crash course in cerebral nomenclature from the pons to the median longitudinal fissure and cerebrum versus cerebellum. I like the author bringing up the nuanced relationship between the right and left hemispheres. I always felt that there’s a bit of hocus pocus when educators show students maps of the brain saying this exact spot is where creativity comes from and that exact spot is where math lives... in this specific fold lives calculus and physics in that. I’m being facetious but the brain is too nuanced for us to be able to make judgements like that. With that in mind, I appreciate the reading for talking about the Wernicke and Broca areas. It’s definitely true that some parts have more control over certain functions than others.
I found the section on slips of the tongue quite interesting as well. The fact that the slip will be within the same rhythm unit was axiomatic, but that it's not the stressed word (or usually influencing word) but rather the other word in the rhythm unit makes a lot of sense. Naturalist versus Conventionalism is also quite interesting; I find myself firmly in the camp of Aristotle seeing little connection between sound and meaning even in onomatopoeia.
I disagree that there isn’t value in learning words by themselves. Yes, words can have many meanings, but how is someone supposed to learn them all? Spanish and Portuguese also have words with many meanings and, as far as I can see, one’s only option when learning these is to study them piecemeal. I don’t think language is a purely biological phenomenon the same way I don’t think humanity and society are purely biological phenomena. Language is culture and culture can’t be simplified to biology (ex: suicide or effective altruism). It was interesting learning about collocations and lexemes though I don’t believe knowing their meanings will particularly influence how I study Portuguese.
I think I found the articles to be even less effective and especially regarding the biological status of language. I perceive it as a cultural artform and something that cannot be reduced to pure brain function. I am usually deeply skeptical of works that attempt to complicate language learning, but I definitely share your appeciation of the reading's revelations on the key areas of the brain necessary for verbal communication. I think it helps raise more awareness about understanding how and why people communicate in certain ways.
I enjoyed the readings, which is something I didn't expect. While neurology and the study of biological functions within linguistics was something I initially wanted to stray away from, I enjoyed how the information was condensed and presented, making it more accessible for the ordinary reader. One thing that I was curious to investigate more of is the whole concept of processing language. Quite often people claim that language is a purely biological phenomenon, however, I strongly believe that this is not the case. The readings specify the importance of the Wernicke and Broca areas of the brain in processing language. I would be curious to see how factors like environment play a factor in language processing, do the same areas of the brain get activated? Is it necessarily an explainable phenomenon? While we joked about avoiding semantics within the field of linguistics, this reading inspired me to explore that field a little more. We often generalize language learning into "oh wow words sound different but mean the same" but there are so many aspects to language that were explored in the texts, such as collocations and lexemes.
The oversimplification of identifying the left hemisphere of the brain as being analytical and intellectual and the right as being creative and emotional is one that I have always learned while growing up. Knowing that this phenomenon is not as black and white as people make it out to be, I appreciated that the reading highlighted the true nuanced relationship between the left and right hemispheres. I believe language is a multifaceted phenomenon that is, at the very least, shaped by biological evolution, sociocultural interaction and immersion in communities, and individual learning styles and preferences. As for the part of the brain most important for producing and comprehending speech, the reading emphasizes the crucial roles that both Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas play, which are located in the lower back part of the frontal lobe and the upper back part of the temporal lobe, respectively. I think the way everyone conceptualizes meaning is a very unique experience that is heavily influenced by one’s upbringing. These readings revealed aspects of meaning that I was not consciously aware of, as I have never broken down my understanding of language into explicit categories, such as lexemes, collocations, and sense relations. Rather than focusing on the systematic relationships between units of meaning, I often tend to use social contexts as my foundation to build my learning and day-to-day communication off of. Having this knowledge definitely motivates me to be more intentional about my learning, and I am confident that the enhanced level of attention will help me to advance further in learning and comprehending Korean.