The study of language functions

1. Expanded language functions

1.1. The expanded language functions are probably the most important social and cognitive developments acquired by a child learning to think critically and problem solve.

1.1.1. Displacement

1.1.1.1. Displacement is a language function that increases along with the increased development of conceptual meanings ( semanticity), the use of semantic social intentions in a variety of ways (flexibility) to mean a variety of concepts ( productivity) in a very efficient way (redundancy). These expanded language functions are important to the continued cognitive and social development of a child.

1.1.1.1.1. Concepts increase in meaning allowing for more and more displaced language function. This increase in meaning results from the overlap and layering of semantic patterns through the Neuro-Semantic Language Learning System.

1.1.1.2. Ideas are separate from the physical existence of a person, action, or object

1.1.1.2.1. Communication with others can occur across space and time.

1.1.2. Semanticity

1.1.2.1. A child acquires the semantic features that become semantic relationships that represent concepts which overlap and layer to form more complex meanings.

1.1.2.1.1. The representation of ideas is called lexical tags

1.1.2.2. Concepts increase in complexity from the overlapping and layering of meaning.

1.1.2.3. More complex meanings can be shared about higher order thoughts.

1.1.3. Flexibility

1.1.3.1. Displacement and semanticity are two types of expanded language functions that take the basic semantic relationship of an agent, action, and object and move the meaning into complex ideas across time and space. These language functions allow the speaker to be more flexible with language

1.1.3.1.1. Flexibility is a language function

1.1.3.2. Concepts can be used in a variety of ways

1.1.3.3. Communication with others takes on more variety

1.1.4. Concrete cognition

1.1.4.1. As language functions express more meaning, the speaker’s or the writer’s cognitive and social development also increases. With an increase of conceptual meaning, the speaker or writer is able to use more advanced language structures and vocabulary. Structural complexity of natural language increases with an increase of underlying semantics or meaning. Similarly, language structure drops complexity when the underlying meaning is not complex enough to support the structures.

1.1.5. Redundancy

1.1.5.1. When a speaker continues to acquire meaning through the Neuro-Semantic Language Learning System, then the speaker may try to use more words to convey a particular meaning.

1.1.5.2. Such redundancy occurs because Daryl’s thinking (cognition) lacks sufficient meaning (semantics) to be able to use different words to mean different ideas. Socially, the listener has difficulty following Daryl’s ideas.

1.1.5.3. Concepts increase in meaning to the point where they must become a new concept.

1.1.5.4. People can be very specific and efficient in conveying messages to others.

1.1.6. Expanded speech acts

1.1.6.1. As speakers engage in discourse, the language functions of the speech acts generate more and more meaning for the speakers and the listeners. The complexity of the function of language generates more than simple back and forth comments. In fact, probably the most complex type of language function occurs in a debate where two or more speakers are using a multitude of very sophisticated speech acts.

1.1.6.2. The speakers present material that all speakers already know

1.1.6.3. If schools want their students to be able to use their own words to debate, persuade, follow complex time-based activities, organize their work, complete multi-tasks on time; then they must give attention to these complex language functions.

1.1.7. Speech acts

1.1.7.1. Semantic development allows a speaker of English to use language to perform a variety of functions within a conversation. These conversational language functions or speech acts include the rules for the context, verbal and non-verbal characteristics of the speaker’s utterance, and the effects on the listener.

1.1.7.1.1. E,X: eight-year-old boy, Dexter, asks for help with his homework: “Dad, can you help me with my spelling?” Dad is busy working on his taxes. Dad says, “Not now.” So, the context is that Dad is not ready to hear that Dexter wants help with his homework. Dad is not looking at Dexter. Dad is looking at his tax paperwork. In fact, Dad’s back is to Dexter when Dexter asks for help.

1.1.8. Productivity

1.1.8.1. Flexibility, like displacement and semanticity, increases a person’s ability to use language in a variety of ways for a variety of purposes. These expanded language functions help a person become more , because productive the person, who has maximum use of these expanded language functions, is able to use language to create a variety of linguistic forms for literacy.

1.1.8.1.1. Eventually, the language could be put into symbols that represent the spoken language either as an orthographic or written code of letters to sounds or as visual characters representative of expanded semantic relationships. These increased uses of language through writing are based on meaningful development of concepts. The language user has more than one way to use language production. This productivity develops as a language function.

1.1.8.2. Concepts mean similar ideas whether they are in spoken or written form.

1.1.8.3. Concepts can be understood whether communicated through writing or speaking or drawing or numeracy.

2. Language functions

2.1. Preoperational cognition

2.1.1. Someone initiates an intention, the other person may or may not accept the initiation at that moment

2.1.2. Through language function, a person is learning that there are other people who are agents performing actions in his or her environment

2.1.3. response to sensory input (sensori-motor cognition)

2.1.3.1. expanding and his/her thinking is increasing in variety of social intentions.

2.1.3.1.1. the ages of three and seven years

2.2. Problems with acquiring basic semantic relationships

2.2.1. Autism

2.2.1.1. a lack of language development affects the social and cognitive development of the child just like the lack of social and cognitive development affects language acquisition.

2.2.2. Basic understanding of one’s environment

2.2.2.1. The child will begin to expand the language functions

2.2.2.1.1. For instance: the child procude sounds as: "mama bananas

2.2.2.2. The meaning of the thinking extends beyond the basic single semantic relationship.

2.3. Semantic relationships

2.3.1. Semantic relationships are the forms in the world is perceived.

2.3.1.1. The earliest functions of language is to tell others about what the child understands about his or her own relationship to the environment

2.4. Social intentions

2.4.1. Semantic development allows a speaker to use language to perform a variety of pragmatic acts. These pragmatic acts often express social intentions.

2.4.1.1. Refer to the child’s purpose for communicating with someone else

2.4.1.1.1. denying

2.4.1.1.2. existing

2.4.1.1.3. negating

2.4.1.1.4. requesting

2.4.1.1.5. rejecting

2.4.1.1.6. greeting

2.5. Extended semantic relationships

2.5.1. Brain images show how these meanings are widely spread throughout the early childhood years (Bookheimer, 2004)

2.5.2. The purpose of the child adding an additional pattern is to expand the meaning of the utterance

2.5.2.1. types of expansions allow the child to use language to “refer.”

2.5.2.1.1. The act of referring is a language function. Being able to refer allows a speaker to be specific about the message the speaker wants to convey

2.5.3. The child’s utterances are more than just structures; the child’s words and acts represent the child’s thinking and social development.

2.5.4. The age at which many children are obviously learning to extend meaning is about age three.

2.5.4.1. Language function by correcting the semantic extension

2.5.4.1.1. The child’s knowledge or meaning of the perceptual patterns that the child sees. In this way, the child develops a new concept taking into account the previous pattern

2.5.5. Language represents the socio-cognitive development of the Neuro-Semantic Language Learning System.

2.6. Meaning

2.6.1. Language functions are the socio-cognitive processes of the human’s Neuro-Semantic Language Learning System.

2.7. Function

2.7.1. solve problems, invent new tools, create living spaces in typically adverse locations such as Antarctica, create human artifacts such as clothes, tools, furniture, transportation forms, and so forth.

2.8. Performance

2.8.1. Allow a human to create a variety of cultural identities unique to the products of the human language learning system such as economic or political systems and rule-governed societies