Download or read book Imaging Neural Correlates of Syntactic Complexity in a Naturalistic Context written by Asaf Bachrach and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of this thesis, and the research project within which it is embedded, is to delineate a neural model of grammatical competence. For this purpose, we develop here a novel integrated, multi-disciplinary experimental paradigm that endorses the fundamental premise of generative grammar, that the study of language is in essence, the study of the mind. We use functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to monitor brain activation while subjects listen to short narratives. The texts have been written so as to introduce various syntactic complexities (relative clauses, embedded questions, etc.) not usually found (in such density) in actual corpora. We have calculated a number of complexity measures (both at the level of the single word and at that of the phrase) based on current linguistic and psycholinguistic theory and with the use of a computationally implemented probabilistic parser. By correlating these measures with observed brain activity, we are able to identify the different brain networks that support linguistic processing and characterize their particular function. Conversely, we use the rich brain data to inform our cognitive, and linguistic, theory. We report here the neural correlates of surprisal (based on contextual predictions), syntactic complexity, structural ambiguity and disambiguation, Theory of Mind and non-local dependencies. This work made use of novel solutions to compute numerical predictions for these linguistic dimensions, which are often tested only qualitatively, and of a novel parametric fMRI design that allowed for the use of single subject unaveraged data as the dependent variable. The thesis ends with a synthesis of the results in the form of a blue print for a neural model of grammatical competence.
Download or read book Structuring the Argument written by Asaf Bachrach and published by John Benjamins Publishing Company. This book was released on 2014-07-24 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While the argument structure of verbs has long been a central issue in linguistic research of all varieties and continues to be a vexed area of research across a wide range of theoretical and empirical approaches, the inter-disciplinary perspective and dialogue remain largely under explored. This collection stems from an interest to find and explore practical, tangible points of intersection between theoretical linguists, psycholinguists and neurolinguists working on problems related to the representation and processing of verbs and their associated thematic structure. The book is organized around three core themes, (i) the basic building blocks of verbal representations and modes of construction of the verb-argument complex, (ii) non-canonical argument structure realization, with a particular focus on object-experiencer psych verbs, and (iii) the promises and challenges of neurolinguistic and psycholinguistic investigation into argument structure and the prospects for the future of interdisciplinary research on verb argument structure.
Download or read book Human Language written by Peter Hagoort and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2019-10-29 with total page 753 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique overview of the human language faculty at all levels of organization. Language is not only one of the most complex cognitive functions that we command, it is also the aspect of the mind that makes us uniquely human. Research suggests that the human brain exhibits a language readiness not found in the brains of other species. This volume brings together contributions from a range of fields to examine humans' language capacity from multiple perspectives, analyzing it at genetic, neurobiological, psychological, and linguistic levels. In recent decades, advances in computational modeling, neuroimaging, and genetic sequencing have made possible new approaches to the study of language, and the contributors draw on these developments. The book examines cognitive architectures, investigating the functional organization of the major language skills; learning and development trajectories, summarizing the current understanding of the steps and neurocognitive mechanisms in language processing; evolutionary and other preconditions for communication by means of natural language; computational tools for modeling language; cognitive neuroscientific methods that allow observations of the human brain in action, including fMRI, EEG/MEG, and others; the neural infrastructure of language capacity; the genome's role in building and maintaining the language-ready brain; and insights from studying such language-relevant behaviors in nonhuman animals as birdsong and primate vocalization. Section editors Christian F. Beckmann, Carel ten Cate, Simon E. Fisher, Peter Hagoort, Evan Kidd, Stephen C. Levinson, James M. McQueen, Antje S. Meyer, David Poeppel, Caroline F. Rowland, Constance Scharff, Ivan Toni, Willem Zuidema
Download or read book Language Cognition and Computational Models written by Thierry Poibeau and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-01-25 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do infants learn a language? Why and how do languages evolve? How do we understand a sentence? This book explores these questions using recent computational models that shed new light on issues related to language and cognition. The chapters in this collection propose original analyses of specific problems and develop computational models that have been tested and evaluated on real data. Featuring contributions from a diverse group of experts, this interdisciplinary book bridges the gap between natural language processing and cognitive sciences. It is divided into three sections, focusing respectively on models of neural and cognitive processing, data driven methods, and social issues in language evolution. This book will be useful to any researcher and advanced student interested in the analysis of the links between the brain and the language faculty.
Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 2009-07 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Neural Correlates of Semantic and Syntactic Language Functions written by Oliver Stock and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Oscillatory Nature of Language written by Elliot Murphy and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-05 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Develops a theory of how language is processed in the brain and provides a state-of-the-art review of current neuroscientific debates.
Download or read book Shared Representations written by Sukhvinder S. Obhi and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-11-17 with total page 699 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of cutting-edge contributions on the idea of shared representations - information sharing between the brains of those involved.
Download or read book The Neurocognition of Language written by Colin M. Brown and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 1999-09-02 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An important and captivating book, one that has been long awaited by all researchers interested in language and the brain.' Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 1999. The Neurocognition of Language brings together experts on human language and the brain to present the first critical overview of the cognitive neuroscience of language, one of the fastest-moving and most exciting areas today. In-depth discussion of the representations and structures of language, as well as of the cognitive architectures which underlie speaking, listening, and reading, will provide a basis for future brain imaging research. In addition, the existing brain imaging literature on word and sentence processing is critically reviewed, as well as contributions from brain lesion data. Finally, the book discusses the prospects and problems of brain imaging techniques for the study of language, presents some of the most recent and promising analytic procedures for relating brain imaging data to the higher cognitive functions, and contains a review of the neuroanatomical structure of Broca's language area. Uniquely interdisciplinary, this book will provide researchers and students in cognitive neuroscience with state-of-the-art reviews of the major language functions, while being of equal interest to researchers in linguistics and language who want to learn about the neural bases of language. It will be an essential purchase for anyone requiring an overview of our current understanding of the relation between language and the brain.
Download or read book Language Music and the Brain written by Michael A. Arbib and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2013-06-28 with total page 677 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A presentation of music and language within an integrative, embodied perspective of brain mechanisms for action, emotion, and social coordination. This book explores the relationships between language, music, and the brain by pursuing four key themes and the crosstalk among them: song and dance as a bridge between music and language; multiple levels of structure from brain to behavior to culture; the semantics of internal and external worlds and the role of emotion; and the evolution and development of language. The book offers specially commissioned expositions of current research accessible both to experts across disciplines and to non-experts. These chapters provide the background for reports by groups of specialists that chart current controversies and future directions of research on each theme. The book looks beyond mere auditory experience, probing the embodiment that links speech to gesture and music to dance. The study of the brains of monkeys and songbirds illuminates hypotheses on the evolution of brain mechanisms that support music and language, while the study of infants calibrates the developmental timetable of their capacities. The result is a unique book that will interest any reader seeking to learn more about language or music and will appeal especially to readers intrigued by the relationships of language and music with each other and with the brain. Contributors Francisco Aboitiz, Michael A. Arbib, Annabel J. Cohen, Ian Cross, Peter Ford Dominey, W. Tecumseh Fitch, Leonardo Fogassi, Jonathan Fritz, Thomas Fritz, Peter Hagoort, John Halle, Henkjan Honing, Atsushi Iriki, Petr Janata, Erich Jarvis, Stefan Koelsch, Gina Kuperberg, D. Robert Ladd, Fred Lerdahl, Stephen C. Levinson, Jerome Lewis, Katja Liebal, Jônatas Manzolli, Bjorn Merker, Lawrence M. Parsons, Aniruddh D. Patel, Isabelle Peretz, David Poeppel, Josef P. Rauschecker, Nikki Rickard, Klaus Scherer, Gottfried Schlaug, Uwe Seifert, Mark Steedman, Dietrich Stout, Francesca Stregapede, Sharon Thompson-Schill, Laurel Trainor, Sandra E. Trehub, Paul Verschure
Download or read book Inner Speech written by Peter Langland-Hassan and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inner Speech focuses on a familiar and yet mysterious element of our daily lives. In light of renewed interest in the general connections between thought, language, and consciousness, this anthology develops a number of important new theories about internal voices and raises questions about their nature and cognitive functions.
Download or read book An Introduction to Syntactic Analysis and Theory written by Dominique Sportiche and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-09-30 with total page 483 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An Introduction to Syntactic Analysis and Theory offers beginning students a comprehensive overview of and introduction to our current understanding of the rules and principles that govern the syntax of natural languages. Includes numerous pedagogical features such as 'practice' boxes and sidebars, designed to facilitate understanding of both the 'hows' and the 'whys' of sentence structure Guides readers through syntactic and morphological structures in a progressive manner Takes the mystery out of one of the most crucial aspects of the workings of language – the principles and processes behind the structure of sentences Ideal for students with minimal knowledge of current syntactic research, it progresses in theoretical difficulty from basic ideas and theories to more complex and advanced, up to date concepts in syntactic theory
Download or read book Culture Mind and Brain written by Laurence J. Kirmayer and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-09-24 with total page 683 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent neuroscience research makes it clear that human biology is cultural biology - we develop and live our lives in socially constructed worlds that vary widely in their structure values, and institutions. This integrative volume brings together interdisciplinary perspectives from the human, social, and biological sciences to explore culture, mind, and brain interactions and their impact on personal and societal issues. Contributors provide a fresh look at emerging concepts, models, and applications of the co-constitution of culture, mind, and brain. Chapters survey the latest theoretical and methodological insights alongside the challenges in this area, and describe how these new ideas are being applied in the sciences, humanities, arts, mental health, and everyday life. Readers will gain new appreciation of the ways in which our unique biology and cultural diversity shape behavior and experience, and our ongoing adaptation to a constantly changing world.
Download or read book Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 538 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies written by Douglas R. Hofstadter and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hosftadter and his colleagues at The Fluid Analogies Research Group have developed computer models that help describe and explain human discovery, creation and analogical thought. The key issue of perception is investigated through the exploration of playful anagrams, number puzzles, word play and fanciful alphabetical styles, and the result is a survey of cognitive processes. This text presents the results.
Download or read book The Role of Processing Complexity in Word Order Variation and Change written by Harry Joel Tily and published by Stanford University. This book was released on 2010 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All normal humans have the same basic cognitive capacity for language. Nevertheless, the world's languages differ in the kind and number of grammatical options they give their speakers to express themselves with. Sometimes, a language's grammatical constructions may differ in how easy they are for comprehenders to process or how readily speakers will choose them. It has been observed that languages which allow more difficult constructions also tend to allow easier ones, and when a language only allows one option, it tends to allow the easiest to process. This correlation is intuitive: languages tend to give their speakers options that they find easy to use. However, the causal process that underlies it is not well understood. How did the world's languages come to have this convenient property? In this dissertation, I discuss a family of evolutionary models of language change in which processing-efficient variants tend to be selected more frequently, and hence over time have the potential to displace less efficient variants, pushing them out of the language. I begin by showing that a psycholinguistic theory, dependency length minimization, accounts for word ordering preferences in data taken from Old and Middle English just as it does in Present Day English. I then discuss computer simulations of a model of language change which implements this bias, predicting observed word order changes in English. Finally, I present experimental studies of online comprehension in Japanese which not only display evidence for the dependency length bias, but also suggest that comprehenders encode it as part of their knowledge about language, using it to help understand the sentences they receive from their peers.
Download or read book Language Down the Garden Path written by Montserrat Sanz and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2013-08-29 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The workshop that originated this book was entitled "Understanding language : forty years down the garden path". It took place in July 2010." --Acknowledgements p. [xii].
