Das mentale Lexikon wird in dieser Arbeit mit seinen verschiedenen Aspekten dargestellt. Unterschiedliche Theorieansätze werden vorgestellt, u. a. von Aitchison.
1. Introduction
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Aitchison (2003:6) refers to a study by Seashore and Eckerson (1940) in which they estimated that an educated adult knows more than 58,000 common 'basic words', 1,700 rare 'basic words' and 96,000 derivates and compounds. This is an overall total of 150,000 words of which 90% are used actively. Aitchison (2003:6-7) argues that "this figure is controversial, because of the problems of defining 'word' and the difficulty of finding a reliable procedure for assessing vocabulary knowledge". Rothweiler (2001:21) refers to Miller (1993) who estimates the vocabulary of an average educated adult at 80,000 words.
Rothweiler (2001:21) argues that the mental lexicon is more than a passive memory. She refers to Levelt (1989:181) that the lexicon is a central station between conceptualization on the one hand and the grammatical and phonological coding of language on the other hand. Both the acquisition of words and the usage of words refer to lexical processes.
The lexicon seems to be well structured because words can be located in a split second (Aitchison 2003:7). Both Rothweiler and Aitchison refer to confirmed experiments that native speakers can recognize a word of their mother tongue in 200 ms or less from its onset and can reject a non-word sound sequence in about half a second. Production of a word is slightly slower: the lexicon is able to generate up to six syllables a second, "making three or more words […] fairly standard" (Aitchison 2003:8). Errors of selection are rare – one in about a thousand words.
This paper is about the mental lexicon. First, I will compare the mental lexicon to a dictionary and come to the conclusion that it differs radically from a dictionary in terms of organization and content. Second, I will focus on 'words', what they are and whether they have a fixed meaning. I will outline Rosch's prototype theory and sense relations. Third, I will come to lexical processing and describe two processing models: the serial-autonomous models and the parallel-interactive models. My last chapter will be an overview on early language acquisition and constraints on word meaning.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Dictionary vs. Mental Lexicon
2.1. The frequency effect
3. Words
3.1. What is a word?
3.2. Do words have a fixed meaning?
3.3. The prototype theory
3.4. Sense relations
3.4.1 Synonymy
3.4.2. Antonymy
3.4.3. Hyponymy
3.4.4. Meronymy
3.4.5. Collocations
3.4.6. Word-webs and atomic globules
4. Lexical Processing
4.1. Serial-autonomous models (Forster's search model 1976)
4.2. Parallel-interactive models
4.2.1. Morton's logogen model (1969)
4.2.2. Marslen-Wilson's cohort model (1978)
4.3. Serial-autonomous vs. parallel-interactive processing models
5. Lexicon acquisition
5.1. Children acquire words
5.1.1. The vocabulary spurt
5.1.2. Over- and underextensions
5.2. Constraints on word meaning
5.2.1. The taxonomic assumption
5.2.2. The whole object assumption
5.2.3. The mutual exclusivity assumption
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This paper examines the structure, organization, and processing of the human mental lexicon in comparison to traditional book dictionaries, while also exploring how children acquire vocabulary and the constraints influencing their word-learning process.
- The structural differences between mental lexica and book dictionaries.
- Cognitive theories of word meaning, including prototype theory and sense relations.
- Models of lexical processing, specifically serial-autonomous and parallel-interactive frameworks.
- Mechanisms of early language acquisition and the constraints (taxonomic, whole object, mutual exclusivity) governing how children map meaning to words.
Excerpt from the Book
3.3. The prototype theory
Augusta: What color did you say the Martians are?
Friend: Green.
Augusta: What sort of green? I mean are they an emerald green or a pea green or an apple green or a sage green or a sea green or what?
Friend: Well I think they're a sort of greeny green.
(Aitchison 2003:53)
In section 3.2. I referred to "fuzzy edges" (Aitchison 2003:48) and that each person might have a different connotation of a certain word. But how can communication take place if everybody has another connotation of a word than I do? In 1973 Rosch "carried out a set of experiments in order to test the idea that people regard some types of bird as 'birdier' than other birds" (Aitchison 2003:55). Robin scored highest and "was the best example of a bird" (ibid.) whereas an ostrich scored much lower and was moved to the periphery of birds. Prototypes are found in any category. There are always representatives which are more typical than others. "The more prototypical a representative is, the shorter the reaction time in access and category judgment" (translated from Rothweiler 2001:24). This corresponds to the frequency effect (see above). Prototypes make communication easier because "all speakers of a language agree on the central members of a category" (ibid.). She also says that "a prototype is to be thought of as a concrete idea for an abstract category" (2001:24). Quetz (1998:275) argues that prototypes "are partly cultural" which is obvious as an Eskimo will not come up with robin as a prototypical bird. But why we think that some birds are 'birdier' has not been found out.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Introduces the concept of the mental lexicon, its high storage capacity, and the fundamental differences between it and a dictionary.
2. Dictionary vs. Mental Lexicon: Analyzes the organizational differences, highlighting how the mental lexicon is structured for speed and efficiency rather than alphabetical order.
3. Words: Discusses the difficulty of defining a word, explores prototype theory, and examines sense relations and semantic networks.
4. Lexical Processing: Compares serial-autonomous (e.g., Forster’s search model) and parallel-interactive models (e.g., Logogen, Cohort) of how the brain accesses words.
5. Lexicon acquisition: Details the stages of vocabulary development in children, including the vocabulary spurt and the cognitive constraints (taxonomic, whole object, mutual exclusivity) that aid learning.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes the key findings, reiterating the complexity and adaptability of the mental lexicon compared to static references.
Keywords
Mental lexicon, dictionary, lexical processing, prototype theory, sense relations, vocabulary acquisition, vocabulary spurt, serial-autonomous model, parallel-interactive model, taxonomic assumption, whole object assumption, mutual exclusivity, semantic network, word recognition, language development.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work focuses on the nature of the mental lexicon, investigating how humans store, process, and acquire the vocabulary of their language.
What are the main thematic areas covered?
The main themes include lexical storage, processing models, sense relations, word meaning theories, and language acquisition strategies in children.
What is the research goal regarding dictionary comparison?
The goal is to demonstrate that the mental lexicon is fundamentally different from a paper dictionary in terms of organization, content, and efficiency.
Which scientific models of processing are presented?
The paper discusses serial-autonomous models (like Forster's search model) and parallel-interactive models (such as Morton's logogen model and Marslen-Wilson's cohort model).
How is the mental lexicon structured according to this paper?
It is described as a highly complex, well-structured system that allows for split-second word retrieval, organized partially by sound and semantic relations rather than alphabetical order.
What defines the keyword list?
The keywords reflect the intersection of psycholinguistics, cognitive science, and child language development discussed throughout the text.
How does prototype theory explain word meaning?
It suggests that categories are organized around a "central member" or prototype, and items are categorized based on their similarity to this ideal example rather than rigid definitions.
What is the role of the "mutual exclusivity" constraint?
It is a cognitive bias that leads children to assume that each object has only one label, which prevents synonymy and forces the search for distinct referents for new words.
How do "over- and underextensions" occur?
They are typical errors during language acquisition where children either apply a label too broadly (overextension) or too restrictively (underextension) based on their current grasp of object prototypes.
Why are "non-words" important for lexical processing models?
The speed and method by which the brain rejects non-words help researchers test the validity of different access models like the search model or the logogen model.
- Quote paper
- Sarah Müller (Author), 2007, The Mental Lexicon, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/91237
