The four levels of language structure and cognitive processing

Language (Cognitive Psychology)

Language is considered to be an exclusively human mode of communication although other animals make use of quite sophisticated communicative systems, sometimes casually referred to as animal language, none of these are known to make use of all of the properties that linguists use to define language but when discussed more technically as a general phenomenon, "language" always entails a very particular way of human thinking which can be present even when communication is not the result, and this way of thinking is also sometimes treated as indistinguishable from language itself (Language, n. d.).

Definition of Language and Lexicon

Language is defined in Wikipedia (Language, n. d.) as a form of symbolic communication in which elements are combined to represent something other than themselves; and the term "language" also refers to particular systems of communal communication (Language, n. d.).

The Online Etymology Dictionary (2001) stated that the word "Lexicon" came from Greek word, "lexicon" (biblion or book) from the words: "lexikos," means as words and "lexis" came from "legein," which means say or to lecture; lexicon was originally used in Greek, Syrian, Hebrew and Arabic dictionaries because these languages were usually in Latin. In linguistics, the lexicon of a language is its vocabulary, including its words and expressions; and the lexicon includes the lexemes used to actualize words (Lexicon, n. d.).

The Four Levels of Language Structure and Processing

The four levels of language are made up of the following: (1) phonetics or sound, (2) semantics or words, (3) grammar or sentences, and (4) pragmatics or the uses of the language.

Phonetics came from the Greek word, "phone," which means "sound, voice;" it is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech and it is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds (phones), and the processes of their physiological production, auditory reception, and neurophysiological perception (Phonetics, n. d.).

Semantics is the study of meaning in communication which is derived from the Greek word "semantikos," meaning significant, and from "semaino," which is to signify or to indicate and that from "sema," which is to sign or mark; but in linguistics, Semantics is the study of interpretation of signs as used by agents or communities within particular circumstances and contexts (Semantics, n. d.).

Grammar derives from Greek words "grammatike techne," which means art of letters; and the field of linguistics that covers the conventions governing the use of any given natural language. It includes morphology and syntax, often complemented by phonetics, phonology, semantics, and pragmatics (Grammar, n.d.).

Pragmatics is the study of the ability of natural language speakers to communicate more than that which is explicitly stated; it is the ability to understand another speaker's intended meaning is called pragmatic competence; and an utterance describing pragmatic function is described as metapragmatic (Pragmatics, n.d.).

The Role of Language Processing in Cognitive Psychology

Jean Piaget, the founder of cognitive development, was involved in a debate about the relationships between innate and acquired features of language, at the Centre Royaumont pour une Science de l'Homme, where he had a discussion about his opinion with the linguist Noam Chomsky as well as Hilary Putnam and Stephen Toulmin (McKinney, & Parker, 1999). Piaget discussed that his cognitive constructivism has two main parts: an "ages and stages" component which foretells what children can and cannot understand at different ages, and a theory of development that illustrates how children utilizes cognitive abilities his theory of cognitive development suggests that humans cannot be "given" information that they immediately understand and use; but as an alternative, humans must "construct" their own knowledge and build their knowledge through experience that enable them to make schemas or mental models in their heads that are changed, enlarged, and made more sophisticated through two complimentary processes: assimilation and accommodation (McKinney, & Parker, 1999).

Also according to Piaget, the preoperational stage, from 2 to 7 years old, Language is the big thing for the children are developing their ability to think symbolically and starts the use language; also at this age, the child's thinking is still very intuitive and very concrete; words become intriguing and fascinating to them however they tend to confuse words with the objects they represent; Piaget added that cognitive development preceded that of language (Smith, 1993).

Conclusion

Cognitive constructivism is based on two different senses of "construction," -first, on the belief that people are trained by actively creating new knowledge and not by having information placed into their heads; furthermore, cognitive constructivism states that people learn with particular effectiveness when they are engaged in "constructing" personally meaningful manufactured article.

Piaget first emphasized the processes of conceptual change as interactions between existing cognitive structures and new experience.

Piaget's main concern was the children's cognitive development and hypothesized that language was just one of children's methods of symbolizing their familiar worlds, a reflection of thought, and that language did not contribute to the development of thinking.