A discriminative lexicon approach to word comprehension, production, and processing : Maltese plurals

Abstract

Comprehending and producing words is a natural process for human speakers. In linguistic theory, investigating this process formally and computationally is often done by focusing on forms only. By moving beyond the world of forms, we show in this study that the discriminative lexicon (DL) model—operating with word comprehension as a mapping of form onto meaning, and word production as a mapping of meaning onto form—generates accurate predictions about what meanings listeners understand and what forms speakers produce. Furthermore, we show that measures derived from the computational model are predictive for human reaction times. Although mathematically very simple, the linear mappings between form and meaning posited by our model are powerful enough to capture the complexity and productivity of a Semitic language with a complex hybrid morphological system.