How do word meanings connect to word forms?

Abstract

The work presented here investigated how word forms are stored and accessed for language production. While the study of single word reading has made significant use of the concept of lexical neighborhoods (the number of similar words there are in the language), the study of word production has not. Data from natural and experimental investigations of both tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) states and word substitution errors were used to evaluate the organizational system for word forms. This type of detailed investigation should aid in discovering the relevant form parameters for determining similarity for production. It was shown that although the parameters of form that are relevant for TOT states and word substitution errors are similar, substitution errors provide a better source of data regarding lexical retrieval. This is because TOT data reflect a variety of problem solving mechanisms which likely do not play a role in lexical retrieval under normal circumstances. The evaluation of specific form parameters overlapping between substitution errors and targets suggested significantly greater degree of similarity than had been reported previously. Furthermore, experimental investigation of word form overlap indicated that the method employed here and elsewhere does not tap the same processes as the natural data. Experimental investigations of TOT states for both real and novel targets suggested that new techniques employed in this dissertation may be useful in evaluating lexical parameters involved in TOT states and in the process of lexicalization in adults.