Psycholinguistics Exam

1. From the definitions given below, choose the most correct one. (1.0 Mark)
a. Psycholinguistics is the study of mental representations involved in language use.
b. Psycholinguistics is a field of linguistics that studies the production and comprehension of language.
c. Psycholinguistics is the study of how individuals comprehend, produce and acquire language.
d. Psycholinguistics is the study of Psychology and Linguistics.
2. The term lateralisation is used to refer to (1.0 Mark)
a. The idea that a half of the brain’s cerebral cortex execute different functions.
b. Functionality of the brain
c.The tendency for a given psychological function to be served by one hemisphere, with the other hemisphere also
capable of performing the function.
d. The idea that the two halves of the brain execute different functions.
3. Link the terms of the major types of slips of the tongues in the table with the appropriate explanation. (4.0 Marks)

Concept Explanation
1.Perservations a. Occur when more than one word is being considered and the two intended items fuse into single item.
2. Exchanges b. Occur when one segment of speech is replaced by an intruding segment of speech.
3. Shifts c. Occur when linguistic material is added to the speech.
4. Additions d. Occur when an earlier segment replaces a later item.
5.Anticipations e. Occur when we leave something out of the speech.
6. Substitutions f. Occur when a later segment takes the place of an earlier one.
7. Blends g. Are, in effect, double shifts, in which two linguistic units exchange places.
8. Deletions h. One speech segment disappears from its appropriate location appears somewhere else.
1-d 2-g 3-h 4-c 5-f 6-b 7-a 8-e
4. Essentially, there are only two ways to learn the syntax of a second language: Someone can explain them to you,
explication; or you can figure them out for yourself, induction. Explain with details these two processes of second
language learning.(4.0 Marks)
Explanation is the process whereby the rules and structures of a second language are explained to a learner. This
explanation is given in the first language of the learner. The learner is then expected to understand, learn, and apply
the rule in the second language. The explanation is usually not given in the target (second) language because the
learner may not know enough of that language. Only with learners who are very well advanced could an explanation
be attempted in the target language. While parts of a second language can be learned by explication, it is impossible
for it to be learned entirely by explication. This is because not all of the rules of any one language have been
discovered and written down.
Learning rules by self-discovery is the essence of the process of induction. The child who is exposed to second-
language speech and rememberswhat he or she has heard will be able to analyze and discover the generalization or
rule that underlies that speech. Actually, not only must the learner devise the rule based on the speech that has been
heard, but he or she must also figure out how those rules are to be applied in other cases.
5. The representation of words in permanent memory is called internal lexicon, and the activation of meanings of
these words is known as lexical access. On the other hand, the organization of the internal lexicon is about how the
internal lexicon is organized, so that it can be accessed afterwards. Given this, explain the concepts of a Semantic
Network and Spreading Activation Model. (10.0 Marks)
A Semantic Network is an interconnected web of concepts connected by various relations. In the hierarchical network
model, we store our knowledge of words in the form of a semantic network, with some words represented at higher
nodes in the network than others. Although the hierarchicalnetwork model can explain some results, it is too rigid to
capture all of our tacit knowledge of the lexicon.
Spreading activation models are network models that are not strictly hierarchical. Activation spreads from one to
neighbouring nodes. Spreading activation models of the lexicon that incorporate conceptual, syntactic, and
phonological knowledge appear to offer the most realistic picture currently available of the internal lexicon.