Which statement best describes psycholinguistics?

• A. The relationship between language and society.
• B. The history of word origins.
• C. Linguistic competence is employed in the production and comprehension of speech.
• D. The study of sound systems and phonetics.

Answer: (C)

Psycholinguistics studies how language is processed in the mind, including how we produce speech and how we understand it in real time. The statement that linguistic competence is employed in the production and comprehension of speech directly ties stored knowledge about language (grammar, vocabulary) to actual language use, which is exactly what this field analyzes. It reflects how mental representations guide both speaking and understanding, rather than describing social aspects, word origins, or the physical study of sounds.