Language in Mind: An Introduction to Psycholinguistics

This brightly colored textbook is designed to be accessible to students with no prior exposure to linguistics or psycholinguistics. As an example of this consideration for first-timers, the author not only defines bolded terms in the glossary at the back of the book, but also includes wide margins where she defines bolded terms like “lexical entrainment” and “Whorf hypothesis.” The text begins with the rationale for the scientific study of language, moves to language acquisition (both at the species and individual levels), delves into microlinguistic language processing, and ends with a discussion of the social function of language. Several oft-cited staples of linguistic instruction (Grice’s maxims, the McGurk effect, garden path sentences, poverty of the stimulus argument, and the infamous Phineas Gage) are present, as well they should be. So what new features does this book offer? First, it offers a companion website with activities that can be used in the classroom or as study aids, additional readings, and flashcards divided by book chapter. This website also allows for the inclusion of videos to supplement the discussion of gesture and sign language. Second, this text strategically uses color to segment potentially difficult syntactic concepts for the novice reader, as with all antecedents and pronouns in a sentence colored red to visually represent co-reference. Furthermore, the author often provides the actual linguistic and visual stimuli from the studies she cites. The reader is more likely to comprehend the tasks when given the actual four items from which the participants could choose, for example. Perhaps one of the most compelling benefits of this text, particularly considering the intended audience of non-majors and hobbyists, is the inclusion of the purple Language at Large boxes throughout the text. These engaging tidbits offer an expert’s view on the types of linguistic discussions you are apt to have at a party when someone discovers you study language, with juicy titles like “McLanguage and the perils of branding by prefix,” “A psycholinguist walks into a bar...,” and “George W. Bush: A modernday Reverend Spooner?” These will spark good conversation at that wine and cheese party you have planned for Saturday night. This text is an invitation into the world of psycholinguistics for those who want to get their feet wet without diving all the way in. Overall, this text is recommended for those less familiar with the psycholinguistic literature.