Dictionaries of the Mind

DICTIONARIES OF THE HIND George A. Miller Department of Psychology Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544, USA ABSTRACT How lexical information should be formulated, and how it is organized in computer memory for rapid retrieval, are central questions for computational linguists who want to create systems for language understanding. How lexical knowledge is acquired, and how it is organized in human memory for rapid retrieval during language use, are also central questions for cognitive psycholo- gists. Some examples of psycholinguistic research on the lexical component of language are reviewed with special atten- tion to their implications for the compu- tational problem. INTRODUCTION I would like to describe some recent psychological research on the nature and organization of lexical knowledge, yet to introduce it that way, as research on the nature and organization of lexical knowledge, usually leaves the impression that it is abstract and not very practical. But that impression is pre- cisely wrong; the work is very practical and not at all abstract. So I shall take a different tack. Computer scientists -- those in ar- tificial intelligence especlally -- some- times introduce their work by emphasizing its potential contribution to an under- standing of the human mind. I propose to adopt that strategy in reverse: to intro- duce work in psychology by emphasizing Its potential contribution to the devel- opment of information processing and communication systems. We may both be wrong, of course, but at least this strategy indicates a spirit of coopera- tion. Let me sketch a general picture of the future. You may not share my expec- tations, but once you see where I think events are leading, you will understand why I believe that research on the nature and organization of lezical knowledge is worth doing. You may disagree, but at least you will understand. Some Technological Assumptions I assume that computers are going to be directly linked by communication net- works. Even now, in local area networks, a workstation can access information on any disk connected anywhere in the net. Soon such networks will not be locally restricted. The model that is emerging is of a very large computer whose parts are geographically distributed; large corporations, government agencies, uni- versity consortia, groups of scientists, and others who can afford it will be working together in shared information environments. For example, someday the Association foe Computational Linguistics will maintain and update an exhaustive knowledge base immediately accessible to all computational linguists. Our present conception of computers as distinct objects will not fade away -- the local workstation seems destined to grow smaller and more powerful every year -- but developments in networking will allow users to think of their own work- stations not merely as computers, but as windows into a vast information space that they can use however they desire. Most of the parts needed for such a system already exist, and fiber optic technology will soon transmit broadband signals over long distances at affordable costs. Putting the parts together into large, non-local networks is …

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