WHAT IS WORD RETRIEVAL?
The terms “word retrieval” and “word finding” refer to the processes involved in mentally identifying and then producing the word or words needed to express a thought or name an object. Word retrieval is one among many types of information retrieval. [See Tutorial on Retrieval] Because words have two very different storage systems in the brain, word retrieval relies on the development of both systems. Meaning (or Semantic) Storage System: The meanings of words are stored in the brain as a large number of connections and systems of connections among nerve cells. These connections correspond to what we call word associations. For example, when a person is asked “What’s a sparrow?” she might reply, “A sparrow is a bird (category). Like all birds, they fly and sing and …(actions); they’re not used for food or much of anything except to look at and listen to (use/function); they have a beak and wings and skinny little legs and feet (parts); they are small and grayish and round, with a shr
