language structure is important in cognition, but is it really? For example, if a child said to you, "You, me, cookie, go now, hurry," you would know what the child meant even thought it is not grammatically correct, how is that possible?
Please note that all DQ responses should be at least 200-300 words in length.
Language structure is indeed important in cognition, but it is not the sole determiner of understanding in communication. While grammar and syntax play a crucial role in conveying meaning, humans are also capable of understanding messages that deviate from the standard language structure. In the example you provided, "You, me, cookie, go now, hurry," although it may not be grammatically correct, the meaning can be understood through various cognitive processes.
One mechanism that aids comprehension in this case is known as "syntactic priming." When we hear certain words or phrases, our brain automatically activates related concepts, allowing us to fill in the gaps and make sense of the message. In this particular example, the sequence "you, me" primes the concept of someone giving something to someone else, while "cookie" primes the concept of a desirable object. These activated concepts help us understand that the child is expressing a desire for the speaker to give them a cookie and go quickly.
Another process that contributes to understanding non-standard language is our use of context and shared knowledge. Communication involves not only words but also contextual cues, such as gestures, facial expressions, and situational factors. In this scenario, if the child is pointing towards a cookie jar or exhibiting signs of hunger, these contextual cues provide additional information and help us interpret the child's request more accurately.
Moreover, our cognitive abilities involve pattern recognition and probabilistic reasoning. We are constantly exposed to linguistic patterns in our everyday interactions, allowing us to develop mental models of typical language structures. When encountering atypical language, our brain leverages these mental models and makes predictions based on statistical likelihood. In the case of the child's utterance, our brain searches for plausible interpretations based on our prior knowledge and determines that the combination of "you, me, cookie, go now, hurry" is likely to convey a request for a cookie.
Furthermore, humans possess a remarkable ability to infer meaning based on context and pragmatics. Pragmatics refers to the study of how language is used in social contexts and relies on shared assumptions and the speaker's intentions. In this example, the child's urgency and the specific request for the speaker to "go now, hurry" suggests a need for immediate action, strengthening the understanding of the request.
In summary, although language structure is crucial in cognition and communication, our ability to understand non-standard language demonstrates the flexibility and complexity of human cognition. Syntactic priming, context and shared knowledge, pattern recognition, and pragmatics all contribute to our ability to decipher intended meanings, even when language deviates from the standard structure. While grammatical correctness aids communication, our cognitive processes allow us to comprehend messages that do not strictly adhere to traditional rules of syntax.