Fundamentals of Psycholinguistics

Introducing the fundamental issues in psycholinguistics, this book explores the amazing story of the unconscious processes that take place when humans use language. Spanning key topics including the biological foundations of language; acquisition of first and second languages in children and adults; the mental lexicon; and speech production, perception, and processing, it is a very welcome addition for those seeking a linguistically–oriented yet balanced textbook. Reflecting the experience and knowledge gained by the authors in their combined 40 years of teaching psycholinguistics, the book is structured as an engaging narrative: from an idea in the mind of a speaker, to its comprehension in the mind of the hearer. It includes the very latest empirical developments in psycholinguistics, and is illustrated throughout with examples from bilingual as well as monolingual language processing, second language acquisition, and sign languages. Each chapter concludes with study questions, a review of the key concepts discussed, and further readings where appropriate. An appendix discussing experimental designs in psycholinguistics offers an excellent overview of work being done in the field, and prepares students for their own research.

List of Figures. List of Tables. Prologue. 1. Beginning Concepts. 2. The Nature of Linguistic Competence. 3. The Biological Basis of Language. 4. The Acquisition of Language. 5. The Speaker: Producing Speech. 6. The Hearer: Speech Perception and Lexical Access. 7. The Hearer: Structural Processing. 8. Remembering Sentences, Processing Discourse, and Having Conversations. Epilogue. Appendix: Experimental Designs in Psycholinguistics. References. Name Index. Subject Index.

Eva M. Fernández is Associate Professor at Queens College, City University of New York. She is also affiliated with the CUNY Graduate Center′s Programs in Linguistics and in Hispanic and Luso–Brazilian Literatures and Languages, and currently directs Queens College’s Center for Teaching and Learning.   Helen Smith Cairns is Professor Emerita at Queens College, City University of New York. She is affiliated with the CUNY Graduate Programs in Linguistics and in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. Her research and scholarship are in the areas of adult sentence processing and first language acquisition in children.

"It provides a wide–ranging, clearly written and organised introduction to many aspects of the field of psycholinguistics. It also encourages the reader to consider partaking in experimental psycholinguistics as much as theoretical study." (Linguist, 15 June 2011) "The strengths of the book are many: its attention to monolingual and bilingual contexts, its clear explanation of methodology and its selection of key illustrated studies." (Times Higher Education Supplement, 4 November 2010) "It is an ideal text for undergraduates taking a first course in the study of language." (Forbes.com, 2 November 2010)