Words in the Mind: An Introduction to the Mental Lexicon - Tapa dura

This book deals with words, and how humans learn them, remember them, understand them, and find the ones they want. In brief, it discusses the structure and content of the human word-store or 'mental lexicon', with particular reference to the spoken language of native English speakers. Since the first two editions of "Words in the Mind" were published, work on the lexicon has exploded. This is reflected in this new edition, which contains substantial additions. One new chapter has been added on layering and meaning change, and several others have been considerably expanded. The notes and suggestions for further reading have been updated, and numerous new references have been included. The book remains accessible in style and easy to read for both undergraduates and non-specialists.

Jean Aitchison is the Rupert Murdoch Professor of Language and Communication at the University of Oxford, and a Professional Fellow at Worcester College. In her research she is concerned with the mental lexicon, language change, and the language of the media. She has lectured in various parts of the world, including the USA, Europe, and India, and is the author of The Articulate Mammal (Fourth Edition, 1998), Language Change (Third Edition, 2001), Linguistics (Fifth Edition, 1999), The Seeds of Speech (1996), and The Language Web (1997).