the mental lexicon

The mental lexicon is the internal database your brain uses to store all the words you know, along with their meanings, sounds, and how they relate to each other. It's like a mental dictionary that helps you quickly recognize, understand, and use words during communication. This mental repository is constantly updated as you learn new words or gain new experiences, allowing for efficient language comprehension and production. Essentially, it’s the mental toolkit that supports all your language-related activities, enabling smooth and effective communication.