Psycholinguistics: Language Processing, Speech Perception & Word Learning
1. Introduction to Psycholinguistics
Linguistics: structure of language
Psycholinguistics: how people use language
Competence vs. Performance: ideal knowledge vs. actual use
Descriptive vs. Prescriptive: what people do vs. what is prescribed
Metalinguistics: reflection on ones own language
Levels of Language:
Phonology (sounds), Morphology (word parts), Lexicon (words), Syntax (structure)
Structure-dependent rules: meaning depends on syntax, not only word order
Example: “The butcher’s brother cut himself”
English Tenses, Verbs, Conjunctions & Phonetics Explained
English Tenses — 12 Basic Forms
Tenses denote the time of an action (past, present, or future) and the aspect (simple, continuous, perfect, or perfect continuous) of that action, resulting in the 12 basic English tenses. They are formed by combining one of the three time periods with one of the four aspects.
12 English Tenses Chart
| Time Period | Simple | Continuous (Progressive) | Perfect | Perfect Continuous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present |
Formula: V or V + s/es Use: Habitual actions, facts. Example: I walk to work. | Formula: am / is |
Natural Language Processing Fundamentals and Applications
Understanding Ambiguity in NLP
Ambiguity occurs when a word, phrase, or sentence has more than one possible meaning. It is present at all levels of NLP (lexical, syntactic, semantic, discourse, and pragmatic).
- Example 1: “The chicken is ready to eat” – chicken (food) or chicken (bird).
- Example 2: “The man saw the girl with the telescope” – who has the telescope?
Types of Ambiguity
- Lexical Ambiguity – A word having multiple meanings (e.g., bat, bank).
- Syntactic (Structural) Ambiguity –
Fundamentals of Human Language Processing: Psycholinguistics
What is Psycholinguistics?
Psycholinguistics studies how language is acquired, represented, processed, and used in the human mind/brain. It focuses on language production, comprehension, and acquisition.
Creativity of Human Language
- Human language is infinitely creative.
- Speakers can produce and understand novel sentences they have never heard before.
- This is possible because language uses rules plus a finite vocabulary results in infinite sentences.
Language vs. Speech vs. Thought vs. Communication
Language
Read MoreTheories of Meaning: From Formal Logic to Cognitive Models
Chapter 1: What Is Semantics?
1.1 Definition and Scope
Semantics: The study of meaning as encoded in language. It is concerned with semantic knowledge – what speakers know about word and sentence meaning.
Linguistic Components:
- Phonology: The sound system of a language.
- Syntax: Sentence structure.
- Semantics: Meaning.
1.2 Semantics vs. Semiotics
Semiotics: The general study of signs (developed by Charles Sanders Peirce).
- Icon: A sign that resembles its object (e.g., a portrait).
- Index: A sign with a causal
Second Language Acquisition Stages: Syntax and Competition Model Principles
Six Stages of Second Language Syntactic Development
These stages illustrate the progression of processing capacity required for increasingly complex syntactic operations:
Stage 1: Canonical Order (SVO)
Learners at this stage primarily produce simple sentences with the basic Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order.
Processing Capacity
Learners can process and produce single constituents in their canonical order. They have not yet developed the processing mechanisms for more complex rearrangements.