In a previous post, I asked, “What does it mean to know a word?” and explained that the answer is, “It depends!” The reason why “it depends” is because word knowledge is not an either-or proposition. It is not correct to say that someone either knows a word or doesn’t. Instead, word knowledge (both correct […]
Lexicon & Word Meaning Change
What Does It Mean To ‘Know’ A Word?
In an earlier post, I mentioned a widely accepted theory within the field of cognitive science, which is that individuals construct packets of organized associations and knowledge called schemata, schemes, or scripts. Word associations are also organized into packets of information within a theoretical space called ‘the mental lexicon.’ Since this mental lexicon does not reside in any particular part of the human […]
The Mental Lexicon
Where, exactly, do words reside? The obvious answer is ‘in the mind,’ but where is that, precisely? Dr. Michael W. Kibby (who was my dissertation advisor) jokes that word knowledge is housed ‘in the liver’ (cf: Kibby, 1995). This is his humorous way of suggesting that there is far from universal agreement about where an […]
Adventures of an Armchair Lexicographer
My entire life, I have been word-curious and a voracious reader. I remember little of elementary school save the marvelously guilty pleasure of tucking novels into my textbooks and reading my way through Religion and Math. As a generally a cooperative student, I don’t think I was scolded for my readerly habits, but I suppose if that happened, […]