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English Structures
The angular gyrus is a region of the brain in the parietal lobe, that lies near the superior edge of the temporal lobe, and immediately posterior to the supramarginal gyrus; it is involved in a number of processes related to language and cognition.
Language and the Brain
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How the Brain Processes Language
Two important regions in the brain for processing language are Broca's Area and Wernicke's area. However, before being processed by these areas, language input must be received by the brain or thought must be produced by the brain. The primary motor cortex is important for producing speech; it is here that the movements of the vocal tract are controlled. There are two other areas of the brain that are important in comprehending language: the primary auditory cortex and the primary visual cortex. The primary auditory cortex receives speech sounds from the ear and the primary visual cortex receives text signs from the eyes. No matter which receptive area receives the input, it is next routed to Wernicke's area and then to Broca's area. Click here to see the transfer of input from the primary areas through the language centers.
Wernicke's Area
Wernicke's area is largely involved in processing semantic, or meaning, issues in language. An individual with damage to this area may display the following problems when producing speech:
- Lexical errors - there are mistakes with words and their meanings
- Word substitutions - The individual will put in a different word from the one desired/intended
- Semi-random word and phrase selection - the words that are substituted seem to be chosen at randon; they do not sound similar to or have similar meanings to the desired words
- Comprehension deficits - not only is speech production affected, but so is comprehension
This individual will display the same deficits in reading and writing as in speaking, but generally seems unaware that his/her language ability is impaired.
Wernicke's Area
Broca's Area
Broca's Area is largely responsible for speech production/syntactic issues. An individual with damage to this area may display the following problems when producing speech:
- labored speech - the individual seems to be working hard to produce speech
- word-finding pauses - the individual hesitates a lot in order to think of the right word
- loss of function words, producing telegraphic speech - only the words carrying high meaning are produced; the smaller words that mostly perform grammatical functions are often left out
- omission of inflectional affixes - grammatical suffixes, such as -ed for past tense or -s for plural, are left off
- disturbed word order - the words aren't quite in proper word order
Individuals with Broca's aphasia display the same deficits in reading and writing as in speaking, and they are aware of their deficits, which gives them great frustration.
Broca's Area
Activity: Video of Individuals with Aphasia
Click here to watch a YouTube video of two individuals with aphasia. The first has Wernicke's aphasia, and the second has Broca's aphasia.
Acquired Dyslexia/Dysgraphia is the loss of ability to read or write in individuals who could do so before.
- Phonological dyslexia - There is a loss of sound-to-spelling rules. The individual can only read words he/she has seen before.
- Surface dyslexia - There is a loss of the ability to see words as wholes. Each word must be sounded out according to sound-to-spelling rules.
The Angular Gyrus is associated with reading ability.
Continue to Part 4
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American Sign Language The sign language used by the deaf community in the United States.
Test of English for International Communication. A standardized exam for Educational Testing Services that is intended to determine the general capability of an NNSE to use English to conduct business. It is used by some businesses, predominantly in Asia, in hiring.
Test of English as a Foreign Language. A standardized exam from Educational Testing Services that is intended to determine the general capability of an NNSE to use English as the language of insruction .It is used as an admissions requirement by most US universities and colleges for international students.
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. A term that encompasses both TEFL and TESL. It is the name of the professional organization to which many teachers belong. TESOL the organization has many regional affiliates both in the US and abroad.
Teaching English as Second Language. Refers to the activity of teaching the English language as a tool necessary for some daily task like instruction, shopping, or interpersonal interactions.
Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Refers to the activity of teaching the English language as an intellectual, academic pursuit to non-native speakers of English.
Native Speaker of English. Refers to a person who acquired English in infancy and young childhood as a first language.
Native Speaker. Refers to a person whose relationship to a language is that it was encountered in infancy and young childhood as the dominant language of the environment.
Non-Native Speaker of English. Refers to a person who didn't acquire English as a first language, but came to it after another language was established.
Non-Native Speaker. Refers to a person whose relationship to a particular language is that he/she didn't encounter it while initially acquiring language, but came to it after another language was established.
Limited English Proficient. An adjectival phrase used to refer to the same students as ELL refers to. LEP is falling into disuse as it focuses attention on student deficiency rather than on the positive attribute of learning. Is being replaced by ELL.
Second Language. Refers to any language gained subsequent to the first or native language. It is acquired or learned secondarily to the native language. Doesn't refer to the ordinal numbering of languages, only to the relationship of a particular language to a persons native language.
First Language. Refers to the language that an individual encounters as an infant and young child; a persons native language.
English for Specific Purposes. Refers to the goal of learning English to use it for highly focused activity, such as for business or for aviation communication.
English as a Second Language Program. refers to a school program that is purposefully structured to provide instruction on the English language to NNSEs. An ESL program does not typically include instruction in any other subjects than English. An ESL program may be a component of a larger ELL program at a school.
English as a Second Language. Refers to the subject matter of the English language and the methodology for teaching the English language to non-native speakers. ESL makes no reference to the subjects other than English, but it is not methodology alone either, it refers to teaching the English language as content area. Typically, ESL refers to the study of English in a country where it is used for at least one daily task, such as instruction, interpersonal relations, or shopping.
English Langauge Learner Program. Refers to a school program that is purposly structured to provide instruction on the English language and instruction in other content areas to English Language Learners.
English Language Learner. Refers to students who are in the process of learning English, whether they are in ESL classes exclusively or a combination of ESL classes and other subject area classes.
English as a Foreign Langauge. Refers to the study of English as an intellectual, academic pursuit, not a a language whose use is necessary or desirable for daily life, although it may be used as a research tool. Typically, EFL is the study of English in a country where English is not a language of instruction or daily interactions, such as in Italy or in Saudi Arabia.
English for Academic Purposes. Refers to the goal of learning English to use it as the language of instruction for other subject areas.
Refers to a school program that is purposely structured so that students will use two languages on a daily basis.
Refers to the use of two languages in any capacity on a daily basis. A bilingual person uses two languages on a daily basis--for work and at home, perhaps, or for different subjects at school. Can also refer to the ability to use two languages, even if not used daily.