Details

Preface ix <p>Acknowledgments xi</p> <p>Abbreviations and Symbols xiii</p> <p><b>Part I: Aims and Evidence 1</b></p> <p>1 Welcome to Dictionopolis! 3<br /> <i>The human word-store</i></p> <p>2 Links in the Chain 18<br /> <i>Assessing the evidence</i></p> <p>3 Programming Dumbella 32<br /> <i>Modeling the mental lexicon</i></p> <p>4 Brainy Matters 42<br /> <i>The physical underlay</i></p> <p><b>Part II: Basic Ingredients 51</b></p> <p>5 Slippery Customers 53<br /> <i>Attempts to pin down the meaning of words</i></p> <p>6 Bad Birds and Better Birds 66<br /> <i>Prototype theories</i></p> <p>7 Whispering Chambers of the Imagination 80<br /> <i>Mental models</i></p> <p>8 The Primordial Atomic Globule Hunt 90<br /> <i>The search for semantic primitives</i></p> <p>9 Word-webs 99<br /> <i>Semantic networks</i></p> <p>10 Close Companions 113<br /> <i>Words which cling together</i></p> <p>11 Lexical All-sorts 119<br /> <i>Parts of speech</i></p> <p>12 Verb Power 131<br /> <i>The role of verbs</i></p> <p>13 Bits of Words 145<br /> <i>The internal architecture of words</i></p> <p>14 Taking Care of the Sounds 157<br /> <i>Dealing with the sound patterns</i></p> <p><b>Part III: Newcomers 169</b></p> <p>15 Multiple Meanings 171<br /> <i>The polysemy problem</i></p> <p>16 Interpreting Ice-cream Cones 182<br /> <i>Metaphor and metonymy</i></p> <p>17 Globbering Mattresses 194<br /> <i>Creating new words</i></p> <p>18 What is a Bongaloo, Daddy? 209<br /> <i>How children learn the meaning of words</i></p> <p>19 Aggergog Miggers, Wips and Gucks 222<br /> <i>How children cope with the sounds of words</i></p> <p><b>Part IV: The Overall Picture 235</b></p> <p>20 Seeking and Finding 237<br /> <i>Selecting words</i></p> <p>21 Organized Guesswork 248<br /> <i>Recognizing words</i></p> <p>22 Odd Arrangements and Funny Solutions 261<br /> <i>The organization of the mental lexicon</i></p> <p>23 Last Word 267<br /> <i>Final comments and future questions</i></p> <p>Notes 270</p> <p>References 292</p> <p>Index 327</p>

<p><b>Jean Aitchison</b> is Emeritus Rupert Murdoch Professor of Language and Communication at the University of Oxford. She is the author of numerous books on language, including <i>Language Change: Progress or Decay?</i> (Third Edition, 2001), <i>The Word Weavers: Newshounds and Wordsmiths</i> (2007), <i>Aitchison's Linguistics</i> (Seventh Edition, 2010), and <i>The Articulate Mammal</i> (Routledge Classics Edition, 2011).</p>

<p><i>Words in the Mind</i>, is all about words: how we learn them, remember them, understand them, and find the precise ones we wish to use. It also addresses the structure and content of the human word-store - the ‘mental lexicon’ - with particular reference to the spoken language of native English speakers. Great strides have been made in our understanding of the lexicon since the first three editions of <i>Words in the Mind</i> were published, and it has developed into a major interest of study among linguists, psychologists, sociologists, and those who teach English as a second language. <br /> <br /> In addition to numerous updates and revisions, this latest edition features a wealth of new material, including an all-new chapter focusing exclusively on the brain and language. Enhanced coverage is also provided on lexical corpora - computerized databases - and on lexical change of meaning. Many of the notes and suggestions for further reading are also expanded and updated. Written by a true master of making scholarly concepts accessible, the fourth edition of <i>Words in the Mind</i> remains a rich and revealing resource for students and non-specialists alike, presenting the latest insights into the complex relationship between language, words, and the human mind.</p>

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