Very Short Introductions: Brilliant Sharp Inspiring This Very Short Introduction to
psycholinguistics is an accessible and engaging description of how people use language. Talking
and understanding language probably seem like simple and straightforward skills but research
in psycholinguistics has shown that complex computations take place behind the scenes when you
communicate with others. Recent debates concerning how AI tools such as ChatGPT work highlight
some of these core questions about the language faculty and how it is that humans comprehend
produce and learn language. The book begins with an overview of the fields of linguistics
and psychology and how they have cooperated from the earliest days of psycholinguistics. It
then considers how words and sentences are interpreted how they are generated and how human
conversation is coordinated. The book also reviews research on reading sign language
processing and bilingualism. The closing chapter summarizes where the field is heading with a
brief discussion of Large Language Models the role of Information Theory the growing emphasis
on the neurobiology of language and the increasing diversity of research in psycholinguistics
both with respect to the languages studied and the backgrounds and histories of language
researchers. Issues that are considered include: (1) How successfully do people adapt what they
say to the needs of their audience when they design their phrases and sentences? (2) How do
people read languages such as Chinese which do not use an alphabetic writing system? (3) Do
the size and efficiency of a person's memory affect how effectively people use language? (4) Is
bilingualism cognitively advantageous and if so what are the mechanisms that lead to this
so-called bilingual advantage? And (5) Do users of sign language gesture when they communicate?
These questions and more are answered using insights from the latest research based on methods
from the cognitive and neurosciences. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series
from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These
pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert
authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas and enthusiasm to make interesting and
challenging topics highly readable.
