I think that one’s language learning ability is heavily, but not solely dependent on biological functions. Broca’s area (located in the frontal lobe), Wernicke’s area (located in the temporal and parietal lobes), and other parts of the brain are extremely important in one’s linguistic ability. However, language is so complex that aspects of it are not purely biological. There are parts that were developed for social reasons. For example, I never would have thought to distinguish the different meanings of the word “mean.” These clarifications came about because people created different uses of the word. Clarifying these differences is important because it helps us answer the question, “What is meaning?” Furthermore, parts of language are cultural. I appreciate Crystal’s statement that “it is only when we study or learn a foreign language, and realize that other people see things differently, that we become aware of how arbitrary the relationship is between words and entities or concepts” (188). The same word that has a positive connotation in one language can have a negative connotation in another. The differences in connotations can reveal a cultural attitude towards certain objects and ideas. All in all, language is based on biological, social, and cultural components.
Overall, I learned a lot about the human brain, the functions of words and sentences, and differences in languages from these readings. Crystal mentioned the differences in familial titles between English and Pitjanjatjara. This reminded me of how in Korean, there are different titles for brothers and sisters depending on the gender and age of the speaker. This reveals an importance of gender and age that is emphasized in Korean, but not American culture. The discussion about collocations was also interesting because it was the first time I had seen the term. It seems like the only way to become familiar with them is to practice the foreign language a lot. Collocations appear to be learned only through living alongside native speakers. However, it may be beneficial to study collocations in order to become more comfortable conversing with native speakers.
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