The Psychology of Language: From Data to Theory - Softcover

Harley, Trevor A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1841693820 ISBN 13: 9781841693828

Publisher: Psychology Press, 2008

Synopsis

The Psychology of Language is a thorough revision and update of the popular second edition. It contains everything the student needs to know about the psychology of language, including how we acquire, understand, produce, and store language. The third edition contains new chapters on how children learn to read, and how language is used in everyday settings. It also describes recent research on the impact of new techniques of brain imaging.

The text is comprehensive and written in a lively and accessible style. It covers all the main topics in this complex field, focusing on reading, writing, speaking, and listening in both adult and child language. There is an emphasis on language processing as well as language production and coverage of the social basis of language. The text covers recent connectionist models of language, describing complex ideas in a clear and approachable manner. Following a strong developmental theme, the text describes how children acquire language (sometimes more than one), and also how they learn to read. The Psychology of Language also demonstrates how language is related to the brain and to other aspects of cognition.

The Psychology of Language assumes no prior knowledge other than a grounding in the basic concepts of cognitive psychology. This third edition of this bestselling textbook will be essential reading for any student of cognition, psycholinguistics or the psychology of language. It will also be useful for those on speech and language therapy courses.

About this title

About the Author:

Trevor Harley carried out his PhD work at the University of Cambridge on speech errors and what they tell us about how we plan language. He has been Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Dundee since 2003. His research interests include speech production, how we represent meaning, and the effects of ageing on language.

Review:

"It is comprehensive, covering all aspects of psycholinguistics ... As such it is an excellent companion to an undergraduate speech and language therapy degree course, interlinking modules of study into a cohesive whole. It would also be an accessible reference resource for practising therapists." – Kathy Jones-Williams, in Speech&Language Therapy in Practice

"I want this book for me, not just for my students. For the student, it's an exceptionally thorough, but lively, introduction to language use in a wider context. For me, it's a valuable reminder of psycholinguistics's evolution from its concerns with the psychological reality of grammar, to its current spot at the center of modern cognitive neuroscience." - Gary S. Dell, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,USA

"Trevor Harley provides a systematic and lucid introduction to the scientific study of human language use. He traverses a complex range of topics from foundational theory and experiment to practical matters of pedagogy and pathology. It's a winning combination delivered with wit, balanced accuracy, and admirable directness of style." – Professor Merrill Garrett, Psychology Department, University of Arizona, USA

"Harley’s book offers an excellent means of enhancing our understanding of language. It provides a clear, comprehensive and thorough review of the current state of play in psycholinguistics, making it an ideal choice for advanced undergraduate and graduate students." - Annukka Lindell, University of Wales, Bangor, UK

"Harley has thoroughly revised his very successful textbook on psycholinguistics in light of new research. The coverage of this work is quite remarkable and it constitutes the ideal resource for advanced undergraduate students, postgraduate students and researchers interested in the field." - Martin Pickering, University of Edinburgh, UK

"I have been using Harley's text in my 3rd year undergraduate Psychology of Language course since the first edition came out because I believe its coverage of the important issues is comprehensive and scholarly while being highly accessible and intellectually stimulating. My students have always found it to be a very useful resource in helping them understand language processing." - Marcus Taft, University of New South Wales, Australia

 

About this edition

• Publisher: Psychology Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1841693820
• ISBN 13: 9781841693828
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 624