Separate, Combined or Parallel Routes? An Interdisciplinary Approach to Complex Word Processing

In contrast to all current models of word processing, the results of my MPhil dissertation (Schwarz&Post, in prep.)
suggest that decomposition is attempted even for irregular complex words (e.g. children as the irregular plural of the
word child). This poses the need for a re-evaluation of past research and the establishment of a new model that bridges
the current gap between theoretical linguistics and language psychology. In particular, linguistic theories about the
morphological system, which have been ignored previously, should be considered more thoroughly, as they make
conflicting predictions about the nature of mental representations. In my MPhil dissertation I proposed a new word
processing model that allows for parallel activation of multiple simultaneous processing routes - an image that does not
concur with current models. My aim is to advance this model and to test if and how decomposition of words is triggered
and executed. For this, I will combine psycholinguistic modeling with a series of behavioural and neurological
experiments that examine the possible 'routes' or access mechanisms of complex words. I hope that my research project
will bring new insight into the psychological and biological reality of linguistic rules and symbols as well as improve
current processing models. The findings can be applied to optimise the comprehensibility of texts, better understand
language-impairments, and improve language therapy.