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A vivid, 'well-tempered' exploration of the foundations of psycholinguistics, combining theoretical ideas with lyrical examples to explain high-level ideas in a lively, accessible way.
List of contents
Introduction; Part I. Both Sides, Now: 1. Breaking us in two; 2. Marr's Vision I; 3: Marr's Vision II; Part II: Six Different Ways; 4. (Case #1): 'Starry, starry night'; 5. (Case # 2): 'There's a word for it'; 6. (Case # 3): 'Running up that hill'; 7. (Case # 4): 'Me, myself, I'; 8. (Case # 5): 'Be my number two'...won't you?; 9. (Case # 6): 'Cwucial questions'; Part III. Say it ain't so, Joe: 10. A is for Abstraction (and Ambiguity); 11. B is for Arbitrariness; 12. C is for Competence~Performance, and Proficiency; 13. F is for Functions of Language; 14. G is for Grammar; 15. H is for Homogeneity; 16. I is for Internalism (I-language); 17. J is for Judgment; 18. N is for (Chomskyan) Nativism; 19. O is for Object of Study; 20. P is for Poverty of the Stimulus (Good Arguments); 21. R is for (Exophoric) Reference; 22. T is for Sentence; 23. V is for von Humboldt (Discrete Infinity); 24. ¿ is for Love; Part IV. A Tale of Two Cities: 25. 'I ain't bovvered'; 26. 'Who did say that?'
About the author
Nigel Duffield received his university education in language and linguistics in England (Cambridge and London) and the USA (Los Angeles). A Professor of English and Linguistics at Konan University, Japan, since 2012, he has held previous positions in Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, and England. His unique perspective on psycholinguistics is informed by his interactions with psycholinguists across a wide theoretical spectrum.
Summary
Psycholinguistics is concerned with how speakers use the languages they control, and how such control is acquired in the first place. Using examples from popular literature, song, poetry, and comedy, this book offers a lively and accessible way to explore the conceptual foundations of this otherwise arcane and technical field of study.
