Language And Knowledge
Knowledge is a familiarity, awareness, or understanding of someone or something, such as , , , or , which is acquired through or by , , or .
Knowledge can refer to a or understanding of a subject. It can be implicit (as with practical skill or expertise) or explicit (as with the theoretical understanding of a subject); it can be more or less formal or systematic. In , the study of knowledge is called ; the philosopher famously defined knowledge as ““, though this definition is now thought by some analytic philosophers[] to be problematic because of the , while others defend the platonic definition. However, several definitions of knowledge and theories to explain it exist.
Knowledge acquisition involves complex processes: , , and ; while knowledge is also said to be related to the capacity of acknowledgement in human beings.
Language is a that consists of the development, acquisition, maintenance and use of complex systems of , particularly the ability to do so; a language is any specific example of such a system.
The scientific study of language is called . Questions concerning the , such as whether words can represent experience, have been debated at least since and in . Thinkers such as have argued that language originated from while others like have held that it originated from rational and logical thought. 20th-century philosophers such as argued that philosophy is really the study of language. Major figures in linguistics include and .
Estimates of the number of human languages in the world vary between 5,000 and 7,000. However, any precise estimate depends on the arbitrary and western in its origin distinction (dichotomy) between languages (or rather ) and . are or , but any language can be into secondary media using auditory, visual, or tactile – for example, in , , , or . This is because human language is -independent. Depending on regarding the definition of language and meaning, when used as a general concept, “language” may refer to the ability to learn and use systems of complex communication, or to describe the set of rules that makes up these systems, or the set of utterances that can be produced from those rules. All languages rely on the process of to relate to particular . , and tactile languages contain a system that governs how symbols are used to form sequences known as words or , and a system that governs how words and morphemes are combined to form phrases and utterances.
Human language has the properties of and , and relies entirely on social convention and learning. Its complex structure affords a much wider range of expressions than any known system of . Language is thought to have originated when early started gradually changing their primate communication systems, acquiring the ability to form a and a shared . This development is sometimes thought to have coincided with an increase in brain volume, and many linguists see the structures of language as having evolved to serve specific communicative and social functions. Language is processed in many different locations in the , but especially in and . Humans language through social interaction in early childhood, and children generally speak fluently by approximately three years old. The use of language is deeply entrenched in human . Therefore, in addition to its strictly communicative uses, language also has many social and cultural uses, such as signifying group , , as well as and .
Languages and diversify over time, and the history of their evolution can be by modern languages to determine which traits their ancestral languages must have had in order for the later developmental stages to occur. A group of languages that descend from a common ancestor is known as a . The is the most widely spoken and includes languages as diverse as , and ; the includes and the other , and ; the includes , , and ; the include , and , and hundreds of other languages spoken throughout ; and the include , , , and hundreds of other languages spoken throughout the . The languages of the , spoken mostly in Southern India, include , and . Academic consensus holds that between 50% and 90% of languages spoken at the beginning of the 21st century will probably have become by the year 2100.
Compose a 1- to 2-page paper that includes responses to the following questions:
- ZAPS presents your results both as a graph and as a table. Use the link to download a copy of your results and paste either the graph OR table directly at the top of your Assignment. Your Assignment will earn a 0 if you do not include this graphic – it is verification that you have completed the assignment.
- Describe the results from your ZAPS table or graph. How do your results compare with the Reference Results included in ZAPS or with your colleagues?
- What do the results of this experiment tell you about how ideas and concepts are organized in our memory? Be sure to use at least two of the terms discussed in your book in your answer (hierarchical structure, principle of inheritance, the typicality effect, spreading activation, etc.)
- We use knowledge structures all the time to group and organize information, even if we are not consciously aware that we are using them. For example, what is the first thing you think of after reading the word “food”? How would knowledge structures for the word “food” differ based on your cultural background? Be sure to use at least two of the terms discussed in your book in your answer (hierarchical structure, principle of inheritance, the typicality effect, spreading activation, etc).
- How do such structures of knowledge apply to your daily life?ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS
Discussion Questions (DQ)
- Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
- Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
- One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
- I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation
- Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
- In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
- Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
- Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality
- Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
- Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
- I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes
- I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
- As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
- It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy
- For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
- Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
- Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
- Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy
- The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
- Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
- If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
- I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
- As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication
- Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
- Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
- Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.
