The Power of Lexical Thinking

1. The Power of Lexical Thinking Randy D. Ralph, MLIS, Ph.D. Media Coordinator Atkins A&T High School

2. What is Lexical thinking? The word “lexical” comes from the Greek λεξικόν (lexicon), meaning “vocabulary.” Thinking lexically means to engage the inner vocabulary list that each of us has in our mind.

3. What is Lexical thinking? This is the list of words you already know that, in your experience, are related to one another in some way. If you have ever written a shopping list you have thought lexically.

4. TREES Thinking Lexically Oaks, maples, elms, birches, hickories – these are “TREES.” You already knew that. “TREES” is a concept - a category of things – an idea. Oaks Hickories All Other Kinds of Trees Maples Birches Elms

5. Oaks Hickories Birches Maples Elms Thinking Lexically Thinking Lexically TREES This is a Semantic Map around the concept “TREES.”

6. Oaks Hickories Birches Maples Elms Thinking Lexically TREES The central oval represents the concept “TREES.”

7. Oaks Hickories Birches Maples Elms Thinking Lexically TREES The surrounding ovals represent terms that belong to the concept.

8. Poplars Oaks Hickories Birches Maples Willows Sycamores Elms Thinking Lexically TREES As many terms can be added to the map as belong to the concept.

9. Thinking Lexically Poplars Oaks Hickories TREES Maples Birches Willows Sycamores Elms Semantic maps are a good way to help yourself think lexically.

10. Shopping for Ideas Supposing you were sent to the store to get some fruit. Is “FRUIT” something you can put in a shopping cart? No. “FRUIT” is an idea.

11. Shopping for Ideas The idea, or concept, “FRUIT” consists of apples, oranges, bananas, etc. – real things. If you put these things in your shopping cart, then your shopping cart also holds an idea – “FRUIT.”

12. Shopping for Ideas • Concept “FRUIT” • Apples • Bananas • Cherries • Grapefruit • Grapes • Lemons • Oranges • Peaches • Pears • Pineapple • Peaches • Plums • etc. • Shopping List • Shopping List • Almonds • Black Walnuts • Brazil Nuts • Cashews • Chestnuts • Filberts • English Walnuts • Hazelnuts • Macadamias • Peanuts • Pecans • Pistachios • etc. • Concept?

13. Shopping for Ideas • Concept “FRUIT” • Apples • Bananas • Cherries • Grapefruit • Grapes • Lemons • Oranges • Peaches • Pears • Pineapple • Peaches • Plums • etc. • Shopping List • Shopping List • Almonds • Black Walnuts • Brazil Nuts • Cashews • Chestnuts • Filberts • English Walnuts • Hazelnuts • Macadamias • Peanuts • Pecans • Pistachios • etc. Concept “NUTS”

14. Shopping for Ideas • Concept “FRUIT” • Apples • Bananas • Cherries • Grapefruit • Grapes • Lemons • Oranges • Peaches • Pears • Pineapple • Peaches • Plums • etc. • Shopping List • Shopping List • Blackberries • Blueberries • Raspberries • Strawberries • etc. • Concept?

15. Shopping for Ideas • Concept “FRUIT” • Apples • Bananas • Cherries • Grapefruit • Grapes • Lemons • Oranges • Peaches • Pears • Pineapple • Peaches • Plums • etc. • Shopping List • Shopping List • Blackberries • Blueberries • Raspberries • Strawberries • etc. • Concept “BERRIES”

16. Shopping for Ideas • Concept “FRUIT” • Apples • Bananas • Cherries • Grapefruit • Grapes • Lemons • Oranges • Peaches • Pears • Pineapple • Peaches • Plums • etc. • Shopping List • Shopping List • Blackberries • Blueberries • Raspberries • Strawberries • etc. • Concept “BERRIES” • Shopping List • Grapefruit • Lemons • Oranges • Tangerines • etc. • Concept?

17. Shopping for Ideas • Concept “FRUIT” • Apples • Bananas • Cherries • Grapefruit • Grapes • Lemons • Oranges • Peaches • Pears • Pineapple • Peaches • Plums • etc. • Shopping List • Shopping List • Blackberries • Blueberries • Raspberries • Strawberries • etc. • Concept “BERRIES” • Shopping List • Grapefruit • Lemons • Oranges • Tangerines • etc. • Concept “CITRUS”

18. Blackberries Blueberries BERRIES Raspberries Strawberries Organizing Ideas FRUIT Semantic Map

19. Grapefruit Lemons CITRUS Tangerines Oranges Organizing Ideas Blackberries Blueberries FRUIT BERRIES Raspberries Strawberries Semantic Map

20. Organizing Ideas Blackberries Grapefruit Concept Blueberries Lemons FRUIT BERRIES CITRUS Raspberries Tangerines Strawberries Oranges Semantic Map

21. Organizing Ideas Blackberries Grapefruit Subconcepts Blueberries Lemons FRUIT BERRIES CITRUS Raspberries Tangerines Strawberries Oranges Semantic Map

22. Organizing Ideas Blackberries Grapefruit Terms (Notions) Blueberries Lemons FRUIT BERRIES CITRUS Raspberries Tangerines Strawberries Oranges Semantic Map

23. Use/Meaning/ Definition CONCEPT WORD (TERM) Similar Words/ Synonyms Like Ideas/ Like Things Organizing Thoughts Here is a pathway from a word or term to a concept.

24. Use/Meaning/ Definition CONCEPTS A sweet astringent red or black aggregate berry grown for harvest in the spring. BERRY, BERRIES RASPBERRY Rubus, blackberry, black raspberry, boysenberry, dewberry, red raspberry. Blueberry, Currant, Huckleberry, Gooseberry, Strawberry, etc. Similar Words/ Synonyms Like Ideas/ Like Things Organizing Thoughts

25. Use/Meaning/ Definition BROADER CONCEPT Concept Included Words/Ideas Similar Words/Ideas Organizing Thoughts Here is a pathway from a concept to a broader concept.

26. A chemical substance used to control or kill insect pests. PESTICIDE Bugs, Insects, Insect Control, Insect Extermination. Pest Control, Pest Extermination. Organizing Thoughts Use/Meaning/ Definition BROADERCONCEPT INSECTICIDE Included Words/Ideas Similar Words/Ideas

27. Searching Lexically Shopping for ideas on the Internet requires lexical searching. This is because the Internet is a “free text” environment. There is no control over the language authors use.

28. Searching Lexically Authors rule. Searchers are at the mercy of the language they use. It is their language that must be understood and used to carry out a successful and effective search on the Internet.

29. Searching Lexically Internet searchers are also at the mercy of the search engines and how they work. It is their features and operation that must be understood and mastered to carry out a successful and effective search.

30. Searching Lexically A Web site contains the word “FARM.” You have searched for “FARMING.” It may not be found. You may need to use different forms of a word in your search. This depends on how the search engine works.

31. Searching Lexically In the Google search engine, for example, if you were interested in “farms” you could type “~farm” in the search box. This would retrieve all forms of the word “farm” that Google recognizes. (farmed, farmer, farming, etc.)

32. Searching Lexically At the right is an example of how Google attempts to find words that include the stem “biotech.”

33. Searching Lexically All words in a free textenviron-ment bear the same weight when searching. Search engines do not distinguish between large concepts like “TREES” and simple terms like “oak,” “elm,” or “maple.”

34. Searching Lexically A search for information on the Internet may require some lexical thinking and the building of concepts from terms. Semantic maps can be helpful in building concepts from simple terms.

35. Searching Lexically It may be necessary to do a pre-liminary search to learn terms that you don’t already know. Authors may use acronyms, buzz phrases or jargon peculiar to their fields that can be revealed during a preliminary search.

36. Searching Lexically All of the new vocabulary you find in a preliminary search can be included in a final search. The more preliminary information that is gathered the greater the likelihood that your final search will succeed.

37. The End

38. Thank You