Chapter 9 Psycholinguistics.ppt

Chapter 9 Psycholinguistics Questions What is psycholinguistics? What are the main topics of psycholinguistics? Question 1 What is psycholinguistics? 9.1 Introduction * Psycholinguistics is the study of the language processing mechanisms. Psycholinguistics deals with the mental processes a person uses in producing and understanding language. It is concerned with the relationship between language and the human mind, for example, how word, sentence, and discourse meaning are represented and computed in the mind. 9.1 Introduction * As the name suggests, it is a subject which links psychology and linguistics. Psycholinguistics is interdisciplinary in nature and is studied by people in a variety of fields, such as psychology, cognitive science, and linguistics. It is an area of study which draws insights from linguistics and psychology and focuses upon the comprehension and production of language. The scope of psycholinguistics The common aim of psycholinguists is to find out the structures and processes which underline a human’s ability to speak and understand language. Psycholinguists are not necessarily interested in language interaction between people. They are trying above all to probe into what is happening within the individual. The scope of psycholinguistics At its heart, psycholinguistic work consists of two questions. – What knowledge of language is needed for us to use language? – What processes are involved in the use of language? The “knowledge” question Four broad areas of language knowledge: Semantics deals with the meanings of sentences and words. Syntax involves the grammatical arrangement of words within the sentence. Phonology concerns the system of sounds in a language. Pragmatics entails the social rules involved in language use. It is not ordinarily productive to ask people explicitly what they know about these aspects of language. We infer linguistic knowledge from observable behavior. The “process” question –