Psycholinguistic Foundations of English Written Speech

Abstract

This article examines the psycholinguistic foundations of English written speech from the perspective of language production, cognition, and second-language learning. Written speech is interpreted as a complex form of речевая деятельность in which conceptualization, lexical retrieval, grammatical encoding, planning, monitoring, revision, and working memory interact in a dynamic system. The purpose of the article is to identify the main psycholinguistic mechanisms underlying English written production and to explain their significance for the development of learners’ written competence. The findings show that English written speech is not a simple graphic record of oral language, but a cognitively demanding and socially mediated process requiring the coordination of multiple levels of linguistic and mental activity. Special attention is given to the role of working memory, lexical access, syntactic planning, self-monitoring, and revision in producing coherent written texts. The article also discusses the specific challenges of English writing for learners in foreign-language contexts, where linguistic knowledge, cognitive load, and discourse conventions interact. It is concluded that the psycholinguistic study of English written speech provides a scientific basis for improving writing instruction, because it reveals how written texts are planned, generated, regulated, and refined in real time.