You are reading a book and you come across a word that is
new to you. You type the word in Google search or pull out your dictionary to
check its meaning. And like this, a new word gets lodged in your brain in that
moment. You are strolling in the park and you pass by a group of young guys who
utter a slang word that you have never heard before. Again, you type the slang
in Google search box and check its meaning. Another word gets stored in the
vocabulary database of your brain. Then one day, an elderly relative visits
your house and as she’s talking to your parents in the native language, she
says a word that you feel is interesting, and you jot it down in your notebook.
Every day (If you are a writer, then every moment probably),
your brain absorbs zillions of new words, meticulously collecting them from the
world, from your experiences, from books, and information, and storing them in
your inner library. How does this happen? Why are we humans able to learn new
words while the lion and the ants seem totally helpless and incapable of
grasping them. Unless it is a movie with animal characters, you wouldn’t likely
hear a bear say “hey dude, what’s up?” or a crocodile tell you that he would
like to remain “lowkey.”
And even though every creature has its own vocabulary, humans alone can grasp it in a way that no other creature can, thanks to their super-intelligent brain.
Vocabulary sponging refers to a subconscious process in
which a person’s brain acts like a sponge. As they read a book of fiction, this
sponge absorbs or extracts interesting words from the book. The brain doesn’t
just absorb a word, it also absorbs its meaning, also generates interpretations
related to it, and decides when and how it can be used. Until then, the word
will be stored in the brain’s vocabulary database.
When it comes to learning words and retaining them in
memory, fiction proves way better than just ordinary dictionaries, manuals, or
encyclopaedias. You are more likely to recall a word that you learned while
reading a short story more than a word you learned from a typical vocabulary
flashcard. In fact, many of the words were originally coined or invented in
fiction novels. These words come under the category of “neologisms.”
For example, the slang “nadsat” was coined in Anthony
Burgess’ novel A Clockwork Orange. Famous terms like “freelance,” “Big
Brother,” and “Catch-22” too were first used in famous novels.
Science behind the process of “Vocabulary Sponging”
What happens in your brain when it absorbs a new word like a
sponge and stows it away in your vocabulary database?
Well, first of all, it does something called the
“Inferential Mapping” to fill the unobserved gaps or empty areas in the brain
using the newly-inputted information of the word.
The mapping process involves three parts of the brain - Visual
Word Form Area (VWFA), Wernicke’s Area, and Hippocampus.
Neural Triangulation
This mapping starts with a process called “neural
triangulation.” The brain activates three of its regions to decode the word’s
meaning. A region called the “Visual Word Form Area (VWFA)” scans and studies
the visual form or the physical shape of the letters.
The second part, called the Wernicke’s Area processes the
linguistic meaning, syntax, and other details of the word. The Hippocampus, the
emotion manager, starts forming connections between this new word and your
existing memories. Using these details, the brain constructs a
“High-Dimensional Semantic Space,” where it pins the word based on its
neighbouring words.
The second step is “Statistical Induction”
Human brain is a fabulous pattern-recognition machine. When
it encounters a new or unfamiliar word like “pulchritudinous,” it starts the
process of “statistical induction.” It starts associating this new word with
words like “beautiful,” “radiant,” or “stunning.” Based on how and where the
word is used, it calculates the probability of the word’s correct and nearest
meaning. A part called the “Inferior Frontal Gyrus” or the “context checker” narrows
down the word’s meaning through elimination of unsuitable ones.
The third step is simply deep encoding through repetition
When your brain picks up a new word from a book, novel, or a
story, your brain initiates the process of “narrative transport” by releasing
chemicals like oxytocin and dopamine. These chemicals signal the brain that the
information being processed is important and needs to be paid attention to. In
fiction, this impulse becomes even more charged up due to the addition of
emotion. Amygdala’ the brain’s emotional center, becomes active. The more books
you read, the more this process triggers in the brain, the deeper new vocabulary
gets encoded in the brain.
Inside a part called the “temporal lobe,” the brain creates a placeholder or marker for the new word. Another part, called the prefrontal cortex, uses the story to fill the placeholder. And then, the next time you read that word, the brain fires that neural pattern again. By repetition of this process, the new word becomes assimilated in your memory.
Let’s explore this fascinating feature with a short story:
He had just finished reciting the spell and was about to wave his magic wand when something diverted his attention. He stopped. He turned his head and saw two large glowing yellow eyes staring at him from the glass window. Solmikki shivered and recoiled in horror.
Different elements of vocabulary in this short story,
including words and phrases, will trigger different areas of the brain to lodge
themselves in the brain.
For example, the Spell: “Abraduberahoohoodaamissishoo...” When the brain hears this gibberish term, at first it feels puzzled because it cannot grasp its meaning or associate it with a word or phrase. So, the prefrontal cortex looks at the narrative setup instead to decide how to categorize the term. After reading that the character of Solmikki pulled out a Magic Book of Spirit Invocations and recited this term, the brain stows it away under the category of “incantations.”
Another word from the book, the name “Googoodonyn” signifies to the brain that it is related to a powerful character or a villainous entity due to the narration associated with it in the story. Since he is the type of character who had his eyes set on Solmikki’s kingdom and someone who abducted this character, his name, though bizarre, is stored in the brain with the association of a villain.
Another word, the kingdom’s name “BluBlaBoo” also
illustrates this process. Although the sound of this word indicates that the
word refers to something bouncy, babylike, or rhythmic, the story actually
depicts it as a “shadowy” kingdom. By creating a contrast between the babylike
vibe displayed by the sound of the word and the context “shadowy,” the reader stores
the word with the association of uncanny or dark fiction, something that is
strange and sinister.
The name of the character Nanto, who arrives in the ending
of the story, is stored in the brain through the process of “associative
mapping.” Although the brain is not too familiar with Nanto, it knows that this
character discovered Solmikki’s book on the hill. So, the brain creates a “neural
bridge” between the two characters to recall the word from the memory whenever
required in the future.
Lastly, the word “Nimble” used in the story shows how
fiction can “redefine” vocabulary. Nimble, the word generally refers to quick
and light in movement. In this story, it seems to refer to something which is “small,
faint, and delicate.”
