Foundations of Psycholinguistics

Definition and Scope of Psycholinguistics

• Psycholinguistics is the study of how humans process and understand language.

Brain Function and Language Processing

• The left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for processing sensations and perceptions related to language.

Chomskyan Revolution

• The Chomskyan Revolution refers to the transformation in the field of psycholinguistics led by Noam Chomsky, emphasizing the innate capacity for language acquisition.

Roots of Psycholinguistics

• Psycholinguistics has roots in education, philosophy, and linguistics, combining insights from these fields to understand language processing.

Cognitive Processes

• Cognitive processes refer to the mental operations involved in perceiving, processing, and responding to information from the environment.
• The term "perception" refers to the brain's ability to capture, process, and make sense of stimuli.

Reading and Cognitive Processes

• Cognitive processes in reading involve the mental operations involved in understanding written language, such as recognizing words, comprehending sentences, and making inferences.

Focus of Psycholinguistics

• Psycholinguistics studies how people process, understand, and use language to communicate effectively.
• The main focus of psycholinguistics is to explore the mental representations and processes involved in language comprehension and production.
• The purpose of cognitive processes is to enable effective communication, problem-solving, and learning.