• ~× فضفِـض ×~

Evidence from brain imaging suggests that function words may be stored and processed separately from lexical ones.

Compare the different processes that a listener goes through:
➢On encountering a function word, a listener only needs to match the word to a phonological sequence which is stored in the mind.
➢On encountering a content word, a listener not only has to find a match in the phonological store but also has to access the meaning of the word.

• What information do we need in order to be able to recognize and understand an item of vocabulary when we encounter it in speech or writing?

✓a lexical entry for a content word must provide information of two different types - it must tell us about form (phonological/orthographic information and morphological information) and about meaning (syntax and range of senses).

• We need some kind of mental representation of a word against which we can match any example of the word that we encounter → vary according to modality