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Pseudoword: History
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A pseudoword is a phonologically and orthographically structured string that conforms to the patterns of a language but does not correspond to an established lexical item with a conventional meaning [1]. In linguistic research, pseudowords are treated as nonwords that preserve certain formal properties of real words, such as permissible sound sequences or spelling patterns, while lacking lexical representation in the mental lexicon [2]. They are distinguished from random letter or sound sequences by their adherence to the structural constraints of a particular language and from unfamiliar real words by the absence of an established lexical entry and semantic content [1].

  • nonword
  • lexical representation
  • phonology
  • psycholinguistics

 Linguistic research and analysis • Language and Linguistics • Arts and Humanities • Social Sciences

References

  1. Trevor A. Harley. The Psychology of Language; Taylor & Francis: London, United Kingdom, 2013. [CrossRef]
  2. Kathleen Rastle; Jonathan Harrington; Max Coltheart; 358,534 nonwords: The ARC Nonword Database. Q. J. Exp. Psychol. Sect. A 2002, 55, 1339-1362, 10.1080/02724980244000099.
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