The Orthographic Component of Mental Lexicon: A Review of Its Structure, Development, and Implications for Second Language Acquisition

Subject Areas : Second Language Education

Saeid Najafi Sarem ¹ , Amir Hossein Lotfi ²

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Received: 2024-11-19 Accepted : 2025-01-29 Published : 2025-02-10

Keywords: Mental Lexicon, Orthographic Representation, Structure, Development, Implications, SLA,

Abstract :

The 'mental lexicon' plays a crucial role in language processing by defining the structural and conceptual relationships between words. While extensive research has focused on the phonological, semantic, and morphological aspects, the orthographic component remains underexplored. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the orthographic subcomponent of the mental lexicon, addressing its structure and storage. We define orthography as the written form of language and highlight its importance for language development, particularly in reading and writing. The relationship between orthography and phonology is examined, noting that phonological knowledge typically precedes orthographic knowledge. Additionally, we explore empirical studies on the organization of orthographic representations in both alphabetic languages and logographic systems like Chinese. Our findings indicate that the orthographic component actively contributes to language processing in alphabetic languages, while its role in logographic languages is less clear. We also discuss the implications of orthographic representation for language acquisition and advocate for further research in this area. Finally, we recommend that educators incorporate orthographic instruction and metacognitive strategies to enhance spelling skills and literacy outcomes for learners.

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