第57章 (第2/3页)
ink
critically and use your abilities for processing information.
The Structure, Hierarchy, and Criterion of Language
Criterion 1: Phonemes
Phonemes are the perceptual units of which speech events are composed. These basic sounds are
used to create words. There are few of them, about 100 altogether, and they form the basis of all
human spoken language. No single language uses all 100 phonemes. For instance, English uses
about 40. We combine these units of sounds to make units of meaning.
153
PSYCHOLOGY AND LIFE
Criterion 2: Morphemes
Morphemes are the smallest units of language that have meaning. Morphemes consist of what we
recognize as root words, stem words, prefixes, and suffixes. Words that we recognize as meaningful
are made up of combinations of morphemes. We use rules to combine groupings of morphemes into
coherent sentences.
Criterion 3: Syntax
Syntax is a system of rules that specify how we combine words into phrases and sentences.
Looking back at the basics of spoken language, what inferences might we be able to make about the
controversy of whether the higher primates are capable of speech? They seem able to meet the first
two criteria of lang
（本章未完，请点击下一页继续阅读）