Taalgang

Taalgang is a term used in linguistics and related fields to denote the sequential flow of linguistic information through processing or production stages. It is not a standardized term, and its precise meaning varies by author and discipline.

In psycholinguistics, taalgang is sometimes used to describe the forward progression of information from phonological encoding to lexical access, syntactic construction, and semantic interpretation during real-time comprehension. This usage emphasizes the directional flow of data through a processing stream as a listener parses sentences or a reader derives meaning from text.

In speech production, taalgang can refer to the pipeline that runs from conceptual planning to grammatical encoding, phonological encoding, and motor articulation, highlighting how ideas are transformed into spoken output step by step.

In first- and second-language acquisition, taalgang may denote developmental trajectories through levels of linguistic competence, such as moving from phonology to vocabulary and then to syntax and discourse organization.

Because taalgang lacks a universally accepted definition, researchers typically spell out the intended meaning when they use the term and may contrast it with related notions such as processing stream or language pipeline. Etymology reflects its Dutch roots: taal means language and gang means path or flow. See also language processing, psycholinguistics, speech production, language acquisition.