Fundamentals of Psycholinguistics

Introducing the fundamental issues in psycholinguistics, this book explores the amazing story of the unconscious processes that take place when humans use language. It is an ideal text for undergraduates taking a first course in the study of language. Introducing the fundamental issues in psycholinguistics, this book explores the amazing story of the unconscious processes that take place when humans use language. Spanning key topics including the biological foundations of language; acquisition of first and second languages in children and adults; the mental lexicon; and speech production, perception, and processing, it is a very welcome addition for those seeking a linguistically-oriented yet balanced textbook. Reflecting the experience and knowledge gained by the authors in their combined 40 years of teaching psycholinguistics, the book is structured as an engaging narrative: from an idea in the mind of a speaker, to its comprehension in the mind of the hearer. It includes the very latest empirical developments in psycholinguistics, and is illustrated throughout with examples from bilingual as well as monolingual language processing, second language acquisition, and sign languages. Each chapter concludes with study questions, a review of the key concepts discussed, and further readings where appropriate. An appendix discussing experimental designs in psycholinguistics offers an excellent overview of work being done in the field, and prepares students for their own research. Introducing the fundamental issues in psycholinguistics, this book explores the amazing story of the unconscious processes that take place when humans use language. It is an ideal text for undergraduates taking a first course in the study of language. Topics covered include the biological foundations of language; acquisition of first and second languages in children and adults; the mental lexicon; and speech production, perception, and processing Structured as an engaging narrative that takes the reader from an idea in the mind of a speaker to its comprehension in the mind of the hearer Reflects the latest empirical developments in psycholinguistics, and is illustrated throughout with examples from bilingual as well as monolingual language processing, second language acquisition, and sign languages Student-friendly features include chapter-by-chapter study questions and discussion summaries; the appendix offers an excellent overview of experimental designs in psycholinguistics, and prepares students for their own research Written by an internationally-regarded author team, drawing on forty years of experience in teaching psycholinguistics