This paper presents an overview of research on the multilingual lexicon as well as the highly complex storage of words in the multilingual mind. Furthermore, it deals with word recognition processes and discusses the issue of a language selective versus language nonselective access. The second part of this paper is concerned with the various ways in which different languages are interconnected and influence each other. Based on this, the phenomenon of codeswitching is illustrated as a widespread example of crosslinguistic interaction in the multilingual lexicon. This paper aims at presenting an overview of the complex characteristics of the multilingual lexicon. It should also give an idea of the immense amount of linguistic knowledge that is stored and processed within the multilingual mind and, most importantly, emphasize the significant linguistic awareness and cognitive skills that multilinguals display.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The multilingual lexicon
2.1. Storage of words
2.2. Word recognition
2.3. Research evidence for a language nonselective access
3. Language interconnection
3.1. Crosslinguistic influence (CLI)
3.2. Crosslinguistic interaction (CLIN)
3.3. Codeswitching (CS)
Objectives and Research Themes
This work provides an analytical overview of the architecture of the multilingual lexicon, examining how multiple language systems are organized, accessed, and interconnected within the human mind. It explores the central debate between language-selective and nonselective access mechanisms while investigating the cognitive processes and linguistic dynamics that define multilingual proficiency.
- The structure and multidimensional storage of the multilingual mental lexicon.
- Cognitive mechanisms of word recognition in multilingual speakers.
- Empirical evidence regarding language-selective versus nonselective lexical access.
- The nature of crosslinguistic influence and interaction in multilingual systems.
- Sociolinguistic and grammatical dimensions of codeswitching.
Excerpt from the Book
2. The multilingual lexicon
The mental lexicon constitutes the systematic and highly complex organization of words in the human mind. It is the mental storage of all information related to words and contains a speaker´s extensive linguistic knowledge. While monolinguals are already capable of “selecting/identifying a word within a third of a second from a lexicon of 50,000 words or more” (Dijkstra 2003: 11), the quantity of stored words in a multilingual mind is significantly higher. In case of a multilingual speaker, the mental lexicon includes tens of thousands of additional words. Therefore, the processes of word recognition during reading and listening and word production when speaking or writing are even more complicated as a large number of extra words make it more difficult to retrieve the target word. However, multilinguals do not take significantly more time in processing words and mistakes occur rather rarely.
Dijkstra describes the mental lexicon as the “language processing system” (2007: 251), which “stores a language user´s knowledge with respect to words” (ibid.: 252) and which “raises some unique and fundamental questions” (ibid.: 251). Research on multilingualism is especially interested in the structure and organization of the multilingual lexicon as well as the closely related word production and word recognition processes in a multilingual´s mind. Thus, the question whether the multilingual lexicon represents a shared database which includes words from different languages expresses a major issue of psycholinguistic research. If different languages are not stored separately, how can multilinguals manage to communicate without “suffering from many misperceptions of words or cross-linguistically based speech errors” (Dijkstra 2003: 11)? Furthermore, Dijkstra proposes another central question of research on multilingualism and the multilingual lexicon: “[h]ow can multilinguals retrieve the right words from their mental lexicon so quickly?” (2007: 252).
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: This chapter contextualizes the rise of global multilingualism and establishes the research focus on the complex storage and interaction of languages within the multilingual mind.
2. The multilingual lexicon: An examination of how the mental lexicon is organized to store words from multiple languages and how word recognition functions despite increased lexical density.
2.1. Storage of words: Explores the multidimensional storage space where words are represented by orthographic, phonological, and semantic information, as well as language membership markers.
2.2. Word recognition: Discusses the application of Interactive Activation models to multilingualism, focusing on how parallel activation of word candidates occurs during processing.
2.3. Research evidence for a language nonselective access: Analyzes empirical data, such as neighborhood effects and interlingual homographs, that support the theory of nonselective language access.
3. Language interconnection: Introduces the consequences of maintaining multiple languages simultaneously and defines the scope of crosslinguistic research.
3.1. Crosslinguistic influence (CLI): Defines the bidirectional and complex ways in which different languages in a speaker's mind can affect one another, moving beyond simple transfer.
3.2. Crosslinguistic interaction (CLIN): Positions CLIN as an umbrella term that captures the dynamic, cognitive, and holistic aspects of multilingual system development.
3.3. Codeswitching (CS): Details how codeswitching serves as a sophisticated, rule-governed phenomenon that reflects high levels of metalinguistic competence.
Keywords
Multilingualism, Mental Lexicon, Word Recognition, Language Access, Psycholinguistics, Crosslinguistic Influence, CLI, Crosslinguistic Interaction, CLIN, Codeswitching, Interactive Activation Model, Multilingual Mind, Language Transfer, Metalinguistic Awareness, Language Processing
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research explores the cognitive and structural mechanisms underlying the multilingual mental lexicon, specifically how individuals store and retrieve words from multiple languages.
What are the main thematic areas covered in this work?
The main themes include the organization of the multilingual lexicon, the psychological processes of word recognition, and the various forms of language interaction, such as CLI and codeswitching.
What is the core research question regarding lexical access?
The work investigates whether the multilingual mind treats languages as separate, selective systems or as a unified, nonselective database where all languages are potentially active.
Which scientific model is used to explain word recognition?
The study primarily utilizes the Interactive Activation (IA) model and its extension to the Multilingual Interactive Activation (MIA) model to explain how word candidates compete during recognition.
What topics are discussed in the main section on language interconnection?
The main section covers the influence between different languages (CLI), the dynamic and broader concept of crosslinguistic interaction (CLIN), and the sociolinguistic practice of codeswitching.
Which key terms summarize the work?
Key terms include multilingualism, mental lexicon, word recognition, crosslinguistic influence, and codeswitching.
How does the author define the "multilingual lexicon" compared to a monolingual one?
The author highlights that while a monolingual lexicon is already complex, the multilingual lexicon is significantly larger, containing tens of thousands of extra words that require more complex retrieval processes.
Why is the concept of "language distance" important in word storage?
Language distance is important because it dictates how words are clustered; greater differences in word characteristics between languages lead to larger perceived distances in the storage space.
What evidence supports the language nonselective access hypothesis?
Evidence includes neighborhood effects, where words from one language interfere with the processing of words in another, and experimental findings related to interlingual homographs and homophones.
How is codeswitching characterized in this work?
Codeswitching is described not as random language mixing, but as a sophisticated, grammatically constrained practice that indicates high levels of communicative competence and metalinguistic awareness.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anonym (Autor:in), 2017, The multilingual lexicon. An overview of research, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/379172
