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Abstract
This introductory chapter of the book The Mental Lexicon; Core Perspectives facilitates the creation of a discussion that would not only present new knowledge concerning the mental lexicon, but would target, in a fundamental way that the question of the essential character of the enterprise, its dimensions, and its most probable trajectory. The goal of mental lexicon research is indeed to understand the human capacity for conscious and unconscious lexical activity. It has long been appreciated that the study of bilingual processing offers an important window into the nature of lexical activity. The study of bilinguals enables the authors to probe cross-linguistic variables in a unique manner and to ensure that they acknowledge the fact that the assumption of "one individual, one language, one lexicon" does not accord with the reality of language use around the world one in which the majority of people are bilingual.