psycholinguistics
noun
psy·cho·lin·guis·tics
ˌsī-kō-liŋ-ˈgwi-stiks 
plural in form but singular in construction
: the study of the mental faculties involved in the perception, production, and acquisition of language
Examples of psycholinguistics in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But decades of research in psycholinguistics reveal that speech errors are rarely this incriminating.
—
Julie Sedivy, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2012
The results supported the psycholinguistics hypothesis, with center-embedding presenting the greatest comprehension difficulty for readers.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 15 Sep. 2022
To illustrate the absurdity—and long history—of this notion, linguists often retell the ancient story of the Greek historian Herodotus, who in about the fifth century B.C. wrote about an ancient psycholinguistics experiment.
—Katherine D. Kinzler, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2020
Julie Sedivy, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2012
The results supported the psycholinguistics hypothesis, with center-embedding presenting the greatest comprehension difficulty for readers.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 15 Sep. 2022
To illustrate the absurdity—and long history—of this notion, linguists often retell the ancient story of the Greek historian Herodotus, who in about the fifth century B.C. wrote about an ancient psycholinguistics experiment.
—Katherine D. Kinzler, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'psycholinguistics.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1936, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of psycholinguistics was
in 1936
Dictionary Entries Near psycholinguistics
Cite this Entry
“Psycholinguistics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psycholinguistics. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Medical Definition
psycholinguistics
noun, plural in form but singular in construction
psy·cho·lin·guis·tics
ˌsī-kō-liŋ-ˈgwis-tiks
: the study of the mental faculties involved in the perception, production, and acquisition of language
More from Merriam-Webster on psycholinguistics
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about psycholinguistics
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share