Words : Meaning, Memory, Recognition

A word is a unit which is a constituent at the phrase level and above. It is sometimes identifiable according to such criteria as;

1. being the minimal possible unit in a reply
2. having features such as; a regular stress pattern and phonological changes conditioned by or blocked at word boundaries.
3. being the largest unit resistant to insertion of new constituents within its boundaries, or
4. being the smallest constituent that can be moved within a sentence without making the sentence ungrammatical.

Meaning is a notion in semantics classically defined as having two components:

1. Reference, anything in the referential realm denoted by a word or expression, and
2. Sense, the system of paradigmatic and syntagmatic relationships between a lexical unit and other lexical units in a language.

It concluded that the word is stored in our mind based on the share of factors: one is based on the frequency, there is described the capabilities-based, because there is phonetic similarity, because there is a semantic proximity, and by others as a syntatic category. Semantic features also play a major rule because of the proximity between an entity by entity also may be caused by the amount and type of the same similar features.

Humans can understand the conversation because they can recognize words that they heard the truth intuitively based on the knowledge they have about their language and culture. They can also take the words as they talk, they need time for these words are arranged systematically.

Memory is formed and used through three stages: input, storage, and output (Clark and Clark, 1977; Engel, 1999). At the input stage, people generally accept input, either oral or written, and then give an interpretation of the input to understand.

Usually people pay attention to meaning, not words. Therefore, the information stored in memory instead of words heard or read, but the entire contents of words. That is why when people have to restate what they heard or read, they will not use these words in exactly the same input.

Presenting exactly the word for word, only occurs in certain things, like going to the actor and singer who had to memorize the script and song lyrics. Storage phase begins with the process of storing information in a short memory. Things that felt no need, or just takes a few moments, just stored in a short memory.

When the need is felt to be stored for a long time, information will be “sent” to the long-term memory. Long-term memory store not only the meaning. Sometimes it memorized word for word also stored there.

In the output stage, there are two methods used:

1. Recognition
2. recall

Recognition memory is the calling process by asking someone to be able to recognize something that has been given to him earlier. For example, someone asked if he saw certain things before. Then, there is the recognition process.

At recall, people were asked to state what has been seen or heard before. For example, he was asked to name the things he had ever seen before. In general, recognition easier than recall.

Both in recognition and recall, people use three external information (Clark and Clark, 1977).
First, by utilizing the knowledge of its language, people determine which ones might be and what is not.
Second, people also take advantage of his knowledge of the world.
Third, people also make use of knowledge in discourse. If, convention, there are two people, men and women, the word “they” must refer to two people. And the word “he” must refer to one person.

Memorization is also a memory, but the process is different. The memory can be formed without any special effort to get it. If someone tell you what happened in this morning, will be enters into your memory just from listening the stories.

In contrast, a memory will memorize rote with effort or a specific action. Generally, it is done by learning and speaking many times to be stored in memory. Something will be able to be easily memorized if significant (Clark and Clark, 1977). An information will not be easy to memorize if the information is not grammatical.

Further reading :
Clark and Clark. (1977). Psychology and Language: An Introduction to Psycholinguistics. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.