Lexical retrieval beyond the single word: Modelling the production of alternating verbs

Lexical retrieval is commonly studied in the context of single words, even though words are usually produced within sentences. We present a framework for investigating the interplay between lexical retrieval, argument structure, and morphology. We propose a model for the retrieval of alternating-verbs, which, in Hebrew, are morphologically marked based on argument structure. We tested 23 Hebrew-speakers with aphasia, first identifying their functional locus of impairment within a lexical retrieval model for single words, and then administering a test battery to assess their production of alternating verbs within sentences. We found that the conceptual system, the semantic lexicon, the syntactic lexicon, the phonological output lexicon, and the phonological output buffer, each plays a unique role in retrieving morphologically-complex verbs, yielding a different error pattern when impaired. These error patterns are predicted by the proposed model for retrieval of alternating verbs with their argument structure and morphology.