Perspectives: Imagery, Verbal Processes, and Second Language Learning

It has long been theorized that imagery underlies many verbal processes. Although
this hypothesis is not without controversy, it is supported by connectionist theories
which hold that the processing of linguistic units is done in parallel and may be
based on different kinds of underlying forms. Further support is offered by the
results of research on the role of imagery in expediting various aspects of the
language learning process. Thus, hearers may not rely solely on parsing when
comprehending ambiguous sentences, but may also employ imagery as a
disambiguation strategy. This paper attempts to describe the nature of imagery,
to show its place in theories of language learning and to provide guidelines for
its use in the second language classroom.