Language is a shared, rule-governed system of arbitrary symbols used to communicate meaning—not just making sounds. Sounds become language when they map onto agreed symbols (phonemes = speech sounds; morphemes = smallest meaning units) and follow grammar/syntax so listeners can decode semantics (meaning). Language is generative: with a finite set of rules and parts you can create an infinite number of new sentences and ideas. Random noises or animal calls can communicate feelings but usually lack that shared symbolic mapping, structured rules, and generativity that let humans talk about past/future or complex ideas. For AP exam terms, remember: phonemes, morphemes, semantics, syntax/grammar, and generativity (CED 3.5.A.1). For more Topic 3.5 review, check the Fiveable study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new).

Babies start with cooing and babbling because language develops in stages—it’s not just knowing words, it’s learning the sounds (phonemes), how to combine them (morphemes/grammar), and the social rules for use. Cooing (vowel sounds ~2 months) and babbling (repeated consonant–vowel combos ~6–9 months) let infants practice the motor control of speech, explore the phonemes of their language, and get feedback from caregivers (pointing and gestures also help). These stages build the foundation for the one-word stage and later telegraphic speech; they explain why language is generative and rule-governed rather than appearing all at once. This fits the AP CED: Topic 3.5.B.1 (stages: cooing, babbling, one-word, telegraphic) and 3.5.A.1 (language = arbitrary symbols, rule-governed). For a focused review, see the Topic 3.5 study guide on Fiveable (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3). Practice more examples at Fiveable practice (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new).

Phonemes are the smallest sound units in a language—individual speech sounds like /b/, /t/, or the “sh” in ship. They don’t carry meaning by themselves; they just help distinguish words (e.g., bat vs. pat). Morphemes are the smallest units that do carry meaning: roots or affixes. A free morpheme can stand alone (dog, run); a bound morpheme can’t stand alone but changes meaning/grammar (-s, -ed, un-). So phonemes = sounds, morphemes = meaning-bearing units. Both fit the CED definition of language as a system of arbitrary symbols combined by rules (phonemes combine into morphemes and words; morphemes combine via syntax/grammar). On the AP exam, you may be asked to identify or explain these terms (Topic 3.5, 3.5.A.1). For a quick refresher, check the Topic 3.5 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new).

Kids pick up grammar without formal lessons because language learning is both biologically prepared and experience-driven. The CED calls this rule-governed, generative system (phonemes, morphemes, semantics, syntax). Nativist ideas (a “language acquisition device”) propose kids are born ready to detect grammatical patterns, and a critical period makes early years prime time. Behaviorally, infants use statistical learning and imitation—hearing lots of sentences helps them extract rules. Social interaction matters too: caregivers’ feedback and joint attention (pointing, gestures) guide learning. You’ll see common errors like overgeneralization (e.g., “goed”)—that’s actually evidence kids infer rules, apply them broadly, then refine them. Developmental stages (cooing → babbling → one-word → telegraphic speech) show gradual grammar growth. For AP exam prep, link this to EK 3.5.A.1 and 3.5.B.1. Review this topic’s study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new).

One-word stage vs. telegraphic speech—quick, clear difference. In the one-word stage (around 12–18 months) kids use single morphemes/words to convey whole ideas: “Milk!” can mean “I want milk” (semantic meaning depends on context). It shows they’ve learned phonemes → morphemes and basic semantics but not syntax. Telegraphic speech (around 18–24+ months) is when kids combine a few content words into short, grammar-sparse phrases that look like old telegrams: “Want cookie” or “Mommy go work.” These show growing syntax and generativity (they’re combining words to express more complex ideas) but still omit function words (a, the) and correct grammar. Both stages follow cooing and babbling in language development; overgeneralization comes later (e.g., “goed”). For AP review, these are core CED terms to know for Topic 3.5 (see the Topic 3.5 study guide: https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3). Practice more examples at Fiveable practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new).

Generative means language can produce an infinite number of novel sentences from a finite set of rules and building blocks (phonemes, morphemes, semantics, syntax/grammar). In other words, you don’t just repeat stored phrases—you combine sounds and words rule-governedly to express new ideas. That’s important because it lets people communicate original thoughts, ask new questions, tell new stories, and think complexly—so language isn’t just a fixed set of signals but a creative, productive system. For AP Psych, remember the CED line: language is “rule-governed and generative” (3.5.A.1), which explains why kids move from babbling to novel one-word and telegraphic utterances as they learn rules. For a quick Topic 3.5 review, see the Fiveable study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new).

Kids say things like "I goed" because they’re learning the rules of grammar and overgeneralize them. Early on kids notice the regular past-tense rule: add the morpheme -ed (walk → walked). They apply that productive rule to irregular verbs (go → goed) before they’ve memorized exceptions. This shows language is generative and rule-governed—kids create new forms using phonemes and morphemes while building semantics and syntax. It’s a sign of learning, not a mistake: overgeneralization reflects rule learning, then later memory and exposure let them store irregular forms (went) and stop overapplying -ed. This ties directly to Topic 3.5 (language stages and overgeneralization) on the AP CED. For more on these concepts and how they appear on the exam, check the Topic 3.5 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3). Want practice Qs on this? Try the AP Psych practice set (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new).

Language develops in predictable stages (same across cultures): - Cooing (around 2 months): vowel-like sounds; babies experiment with phonemes. - Babbling (6–9 months): repeated consonant-vowel combos (ba-ba); begins to reflect language phonemes of the environment. - One-word (holophrastic) stage (about 12 months): single meaningful words (e.g., “milk”)—morphemes carry whole ideas. - Two-word/telegraphic speech (around 18–24 months): short, grammar-sparse combos (“want cookie”) showing early syntax. As kids learn rules they often overgeneralize (e.g., “goed”), revealing rule learning. Nonverbal gestures (pointing) help communication before and during these stages. Key AP terms: phonemes, morphemes, semantics, syntax, generativity, language acquisition device, and critical period. These stages are tested about how language develops (CED 3.5.B.1) and relate to language components (CED 3.5.A.1). For a quick topic review, check the AP Psych Topic 3.5 study guide (Fiveable) (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3). For more practice, use Fiveable practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new).

Pointing and other nonverbal gestures are huge building blocks for language. When babies point, they create joint attention (they and an adult focus on the same thing), which helps the child learn that sounds map onto objects and events—that is, it supports early semantics. Caregivers respond by naming the referent, so infants get repeated, clear examples of morphemes and word meanings during the one-word stage and beyond. Pointing also shows referential intent (the baby intends to communicate), which encourages turn-taking and social feedback that shape babbling into meaningful speech. These gestures speed up vocabulary growth and help kids generalize rules (reducing overgeneralization errors later). This fits AP Topic 3.5: nonverbal manual gestures (e.g., pointing) are part of cross-cultural language development (see the Topic 3.5 study guide) (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3). For extra practice, check Fiveable’s unit review and 1,000+ AP-style practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new and https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new).

Syntax = the rules that govern how words are arranged into phrases and sentences (word order, grammar). It’s what lets you form well-formed sentences (e.g., English S-V-O: “She (S) ate (V) cake (O)”). Syntax is rule-governed and part of grammar in the CED. Semantics = the meaning of words and sentences (what the symbols stand for). Semantics deals with morphemes and word meanings, sentence meaning, ambiguity, and how we interpret utterances (e.g., “The cat chased the dog” vs. “The dog chased the cat” differ semantically though both follow syntax). Key difference: syntax is form/structure; semantics is meaning. Both are required for generativity—using a finite set of rules/symbols (phonemes, morphemes) to create infinite ideas (CED 3.5.A.1). For more review, check the Topic 3.5 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3) and practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new).

Humans can create infinite new sentences because human language is generative: we use a shared, rule-governed system of arbitrary symbols (phonemes, morphemes) plus grammar/syntax that lets us combine elements recursively to express novel ideas (CED 3.5.A.1). Many animal communications are fixed signals tied to specific contexts (alarm calls, mating calls) and lack the syntactic rules and recursion that let humans rearrange parts to make unlimited meanings. Humans also have specialized learning mechanisms (ideas like a language-acquisition device and sensitive/critical periods) and practice stages (cooing → babbling → one-word → telegraphic speech) that build that generativity (CED 3.5.B.1). For AP exam review, focus on “generativity” and rule-governed syntax—see the Topic 3.5 study guide for examples and definitions (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3). For more practice, try the AP Psych question bank (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new).

Overgeneralization is when kids apply a grammatical rule too broadly while they’re learning language—it shows they’ve learned the rule, not that they’re confused. Real examples: a toddler saying “goed” instead of “went,” “mouses” instead of “mice,” or “runned” instead of “ran.” You’ll often see this in the one-word to telegraphic-speech stages (roughly 12–24 months into early toddlerhood) when kids combine morphemes and test syntax rules. It’s important for AP Psych because the CED lists these errors as evidence of rule-based, generative language learning (3.5.B.1). Overgeneralization mirrors how kids form regular past-tense patterns and plural rules before memorizing exceptions. For quick review, check the Topic 3.5 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3) and try practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new) to see example items that test this concept.

Because language symbols are arbitrary (words/sounds don’t have inherent meaning), you learn language by socially agreeing on sound–meaning pairs and the rules that combine them. That means: you must map phonemes and morphemes to meanings (semantics) through exposure and interaction, learn grammar/syntax that govern how symbols combine, and internalize conventions specific to your culture. The arbitrariness also enables generativity—a small set of symbols can produce infinite sentences—but it requires learning stages (cooing, babbling, one-word, telegraphic speech) and often produces rule errors (overgeneralization) as you form grammar. For AP exam purposes, connect “arbitrary symbols” to shared systems, rule-governed structure (syntax/grammar), and generativity (CED 3.5.A.1). For more topic review, check the Fiveable study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new).

Manual gestures—especially pointing and iconic gestures—are a universal early tool kids use before and during learning words. Across cultures, infants point to direct caregivers’ attention (joint attention), which helps map arbitrary symbols (words) onto objects and predicts bigger vocabularies later. Gestures also scaffold stages of language (pointing appears before many kids hit the one-word stage and supports transition to two-word/telegraphic speech). Cultures differ in how often and which gestures are used (some use more emblems or culturally specific signs), but the basic role—helping joint attention, labeling, and meaning-making—is consistent worldwide. Remember this ties directly to CED keywords like pointing, nonverbal gestures, and stages (cooing, babbling, one-word, telegraphic). For a quick Topic 3.5 review, see the Fiveable study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-psych-new) to prep for AP-style items.

“Rule-governed” means language follows consistent, learnable rules (grammar/syntax) that let you create and understand new sentences. Examples tied to AP terms: - Phoneme rules: English doesn’t start words with the “ng” sound, so phoneme order matters. - Morphology: Adding the morpheme -ed makes past tense (walk → walked). Learners overgeneralize this rule (goed) showing they’ve learned the pattern. - Syntax/grammar: Word order changes meaning (The dog bit the man ≠ The man bit the dog). Rules tell you subject → verb → object in English. - Semantics: Rules plus word meanings let sentences generate infinitely many ideas (generativity)—you can create a sentence no one’s said before that’s still grammatical and meaningful. For AP exam review, these points map to 3.5.A.1; see the Topic 3.5 study guide on Fiveable for more examples and practice (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-psych-new/unit-3/5-communication-and-language-development/study-guide/IQBYku4ewJ3Ih4S3).