Language in Mind: An introduction to
Psycholinguistics
A summary of all 13 chapters
Chapter 1 – Science, Language, and the Science of Language..............................4
1.1 What Do Scientists Know about Language? (p. 27).......................................4
Chapter 2 – Origins of Human Language................................................................5
2.1 Why Us? (p. 39)............................................................................................. 5
2.2 The Social Underpinnings of Language (p. 52)..............................................6
2.3 The Structure Of Language (p. 62)................................................................7
2.4 The Evolution of Speech (p. 72)....................................................................9
2.5 How Humans Invent Languages (p. 82).......................................................13
2.6 Language and Genes (p. 94).......................................................................15
2.7 Survival of the Fittest Language? (p. 105)...................................................19
Chapter 3 – Language and the Brain....................................................................22
3.1 Evidence from Damage to the Brain (p. 123)..............................................22
3.2 Mapping the Healthy Human Brain (p. 142)................................................26
3.3 The Brain in Real-Time Action (p. 170)........................................................29
Chapter 4 – Learning Sound Patterns...................................................................32
4.1 Where are the words?................................................................................. 32
4.2 Infant Statisticians (p. 212).........................................................................34
4.3 What Are the Sounds? (p. 222)....................................................................35
4.4 Learning How Sounds Pattern (p. 241)........................................................39
4.5 Some Patterns Are Easier to Learn than Others (p. 248).............................41
Chapter 5 – Learning Words................................................................................. 44
5.1 Words and Their Interface to Sound (p. 271)...............................................44
5.2 Reference and Concepts (p. 278)................................................................46
5.3 Understanding Speakers’ Intentions (p. 298)..............................................48
5.4 Parts of Speech (p. 307).............................................................................. 49
5.5 The Role of Language Input (p. 312)...........................................................51
5.6 Complex Words (p. 323).............................................................................. 53
Chapter 6 – Learning the Structure of Sentences.................................................56
6.1 The Nature of Syntactic Knowledge (p. 347)...............................................56
6.2 Learning Grammatical Categories (p. 369).................................................60
6.3 How Abstract Is Early Syntax? (p. 380).......................................................61
6.4 Complex Syntax and Constraints on Learning (p. 399)...............................65
6.5 What Do Children Do with Input? (p. 417)...................................................68
1
,Chapter 7 – Speech Perception............................................................................. 69
7.1 Coping with the Variability of Sounds (p. 432)............................................69
7.2 Integrating Multiple Cues (p. 447)...............................................................72
7.3 Adapting to a Variety of Talkers (p. 457).....................................................74
7.4 The Motor Theory of Speech Perception (p. 474)........................................77
Chapter 8 – Word Recognition.............................................................................. 81
8.1 A Connected Lexicon (p. 494).....................................................................81
8.2 Ambiguity (p. 511)...................................................................................... 85
8.3 Recognizing Spoken Words in Real Time (p. 525).......................................87
8.4 Reading Written Words (p. 540)..................................................................91
Chapter 9 – Understanding Sentence Structure and Meaning..............................97
9.1 Incremental Processing and the Problem of Ambiguity (p. 562)..................97
9.2 Models of Ambiguity Resolution (p. 576)...................................................100
9.3 Variables That Predict the Difficulty of Ambiguous Sentences (p. 585).....103
9.4 Making Predictions (p. 605).......................................................................105
9.5 When Memory Fails (p. 615)......................................................................106
9.6 Variable Minds (p. 621)............................................................................. 107
Chapter 10: Speaking: From Planning to Articulation.........................................109
10.1 The Space between Thinking and Speaking (p. 647)...............................109
10.2 Ordered Stages in Language Production (p. 657)....................................111
10.3 Formulating Messages (p. 670)...............................................................114
10.4 Structuring Sentences (p. 682)................................................................115
10.5 Putting the Sounds in Words (p. 697)......................................................117
Chapter 11 – Discourse and Inference................................................................123
11.1 From Linguistic Form to Mental Models of the World (p. 723).................123
11.2 Pronoun Problems (p. 744)......................................................................126
11.3 Pronouns in Real Time (p. 759)...............................................................129
11.4 Drawing Inferences and Making Connections (p. 771)............................133
11.5 Understanding Metaphor (p. 789)...........................................................136
Chapter 12: The Social Side of Language...........................................................139
12.1 Tiny Mind Readers or Young Egocentrics? (p. 810).................................139
12.2 Conversational Inferences: Deciphering What the Speaker Meant (p. 833)
........................................................................................................................ 144
12.3 Audience Design (p. 859)........................................................................150
12.4 Dialogue (p. 874)..................................................................................... 154
Chapter 13 – Language Diversity.......................................................................160
13.1 What Do Languages Have in Common? (p. 899).....................................160
13.2 Explaining Similarities across Languages (p. 910)..................................162
13.3 Words, Concepts, and Culture (p. 932)...................................................165
2
, 13.4 Language Structure and the Connection between Culture and Mind (p.
951)................................................................................................................. 168
13.5 One Mind, Multiple Languages (p. 964)...................................................172
*All page numbers are based on the PDF-file
3
, Chapter 1 – Science, Language, and the Science of
Language
(p. 23 – 35)
Isaac Asimov wrote the essay ‘’The Relativity of Wrong’’. In this he countered
that what matters isn’t the knowing whether an idea is right or wrong, but having
a sense of which ideas might be more wrong than others.
1.1 What Do Scientists Know about Language? (p. 27)
In studying the language sciences, it’s especially useful to approach the field with
the ‘’how do you know’’ mindset rather than one that asks which theory is right.
Box 1.2
Psycholinguistics is a field that uses experimental methods to study the
psychological machinery that drives language learning, language comprehension,
and language production. To construct theories that stand a decent chance of
being right, we need to pay attention to a variety of angles:
- Theoretical linguists: provide detailed descriptions and analyses of the
structure of language. They pay attention to the patterns found in
language.
- Computational linguists: write and implement computer programs to
explore the data structure of human language or to stimulate how humans
might learn and use language.
- Neurolinguists and cognitive neuroscientists: study the brain and how this
complex organ carries out the mental operations that are required for
learning or using language.
- Biolinguists: look deeply into our biological makeup to understand why our
species seems to be the only one to use language to communicate.
- Language typologists: are like naturalists, collecting data samples from
many different modern languages, and historical linguists are like
archeologists, reconstructing extinct ancestors and establishing the
connections and relationships among existing languages.
4
Psycholinguistics
A summary of all 13 chapters
Chapter 1 – Science, Language, and the Science of Language..............................4
1.1 What Do Scientists Know about Language? (p. 27).......................................4
Chapter 2 – Origins of Human Language................................................................5
2.1 Why Us? (p. 39)............................................................................................. 5
2.2 The Social Underpinnings of Language (p. 52)..............................................6
2.3 The Structure Of Language (p. 62)................................................................7
2.4 The Evolution of Speech (p. 72)....................................................................9
2.5 How Humans Invent Languages (p. 82).......................................................13
2.6 Language and Genes (p. 94).......................................................................15
2.7 Survival of the Fittest Language? (p. 105)...................................................19
Chapter 3 – Language and the Brain....................................................................22
3.1 Evidence from Damage to the Brain (p. 123)..............................................22
3.2 Mapping the Healthy Human Brain (p. 142)................................................26
3.3 The Brain in Real-Time Action (p. 170)........................................................29
Chapter 4 – Learning Sound Patterns...................................................................32
4.1 Where are the words?................................................................................. 32
4.2 Infant Statisticians (p. 212).........................................................................34
4.3 What Are the Sounds? (p. 222)....................................................................35
4.4 Learning How Sounds Pattern (p. 241)........................................................39
4.5 Some Patterns Are Easier to Learn than Others (p. 248).............................41
Chapter 5 – Learning Words................................................................................. 44
5.1 Words and Their Interface to Sound (p. 271)...............................................44
5.2 Reference and Concepts (p. 278)................................................................46
5.3 Understanding Speakers’ Intentions (p. 298)..............................................48
5.4 Parts of Speech (p. 307).............................................................................. 49
5.5 The Role of Language Input (p. 312)...........................................................51
5.6 Complex Words (p. 323).............................................................................. 53
Chapter 6 – Learning the Structure of Sentences.................................................56
6.1 The Nature of Syntactic Knowledge (p. 347)...............................................56
6.2 Learning Grammatical Categories (p. 369).................................................60
6.3 How Abstract Is Early Syntax? (p. 380).......................................................61
6.4 Complex Syntax and Constraints on Learning (p. 399)...............................65
6.5 What Do Children Do with Input? (p. 417)...................................................68
1
,Chapter 7 – Speech Perception............................................................................. 69
7.1 Coping with the Variability of Sounds (p. 432)............................................69
7.2 Integrating Multiple Cues (p. 447)...............................................................72
7.3 Adapting to a Variety of Talkers (p. 457).....................................................74
7.4 The Motor Theory of Speech Perception (p. 474)........................................77
Chapter 8 – Word Recognition.............................................................................. 81
8.1 A Connected Lexicon (p. 494).....................................................................81
8.2 Ambiguity (p. 511)...................................................................................... 85
8.3 Recognizing Spoken Words in Real Time (p. 525).......................................87
8.4 Reading Written Words (p. 540)..................................................................91
Chapter 9 – Understanding Sentence Structure and Meaning..............................97
9.1 Incremental Processing and the Problem of Ambiguity (p. 562)..................97
9.2 Models of Ambiguity Resolution (p. 576)...................................................100
9.3 Variables That Predict the Difficulty of Ambiguous Sentences (p. 585).....103
9.4 Making Predictions (p. 605).......................................................................105
9.5 When Memory Fails (p. 615)......................................................................106
9.6 Variable Minds (p. 621)............................................................................. 107
Chapter 10: Speaking: From Planning to Articulation.........................................109
10.1 The Space between Thinking and Speaking (p. 647)...............................109
10.2 Ordered Stages in Language Production (p. 657)....................................111
10.3 Formulating Messages (p. 670)...............................................................114
10.4 Structuring Sentences (p. 682)................................................................115
10.5 Putting the Sounds in Words (p. 697)......................................................117
Chapter 11 – Discourse and Inference................................................................123
11.1 From Linguistic Form to Mental Models of the World (p. 723).................123
11.2 Pronoun Problems (p. 744)......................................................................126
11.3 Pronouns in Real Time (p. 759)...............................................................129
11.4 Drawing Inferences and Making Connections (p. 771)............................133
11.5 Understanding Metaphor (p. 789)...........................................................136
Chapter 12: The Social Side of Language...........................................................139
12.1 Tiny Mind Readers or Young Egocentrics? (p. 810).................................139
12.2 Conversational Inferences: Deciphering What the Speaker Meant (p. 833)
........................................................................................................................ 144
12.3 Audience Design (p. 859)........................................................................150
12.4 Dialogue (p. 874)..................................................................................... 154
Chapter 13 – Language Diversity.......................................................................160
13.1 What Do Languages Have in Common? (p. 899).....................................160
13.2 Explaining Similarities across Languages (p. 910)..................................162
13.3 Words, Concepts, and Culture (p. 932)...................................................165
2
, 13.4 Language Structure and the Connection between Culture and Mind (p.
951)................................................................................................................. 168
13.5 One Mind, Multiple Languages (p. 964)...................................................172
*All page numbers are based on the PDF-file
3
, Chapter 1 – Science, Language, and the Science of
Language
(p. 23 – 35)
Isaac Asimov wrote the essay ‘’The Relativity of Wrong’’. In this he countered
that what matters isn’t the knowing whether an idea is right or wrong, but having
a sense of which ideas might be more wrong than others.
1.1 What Do Scientists Know about Language? (p. 27)
In studying the language sciences, it’s especially useful to approach the field with
the ‘’how do you know’’ mindset rather than one that asks which theory is right.
Box 1.2
Psycholinguistics is a field that uses experimental methods to study the
psychological machinery that drives language learning, language comprehension,
and language production. To construct theories that stand a decent chance of
being right, we need to pay attention to a variety of angles:
- Theoretical linguists: provide detailed descriptions and analyses of the
structure of language. They pay attention to the patterns found in
language.
- Computational linguists: write and implement computer programs to
explore the data structure of human language or to stimulate how humans
might learn and use language.
- Neurolinguists and cognitive neuroscientists: study the brain and how this
complex organ carries out the mental operations that are required for
learning or using language.
- Biolinguists: look deeply into our biological makeup to understand why our
species seems to be the only one to use language to communicate.
- Language typologists: are like naturalists, collecting data samples from
many different modern languages, and historical linguists are like
archeologists, reconstructing extinct ancestors and establishing the
connections and relationships among existing languages.
4
