Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Neuroscience and Linguistics
LINK AND COMMONALITIES
The Language-Ready Brain
Linguistics authorities Boeckx and Benitez-Burraco (2014) Theorize that modern man possesses a language-ready brain structure, which earlier homo species did not. This, they believe, came as a result of developmental changes shown by a more globular braincase in modern man from the time of the split of species from the Neanderthal-Denisovans. The development changes were primarily in the cortical level, accompanied by anatomical changes in the sub-cortical level, which resulted in this globularity. Modern man's resulting capacity for language can be gleaned from and explained by the functional consequences of these changes. These experts point to the thalamus, which is mainly responsible for the uniquely evolved language and human cognition of modern homo sapiens (Boeckx & Benitez-Burraco)/
Boeckx & Benitez-Burraco (2014) isolated a probable gene, which could be strongly influential in the unique development and connectivity of the thalamus as well as the evolution of the human head. Its parts or components may also be responsible for language-associated cognitive disorders. This probable gene set may prove useful in the better understanding of the genetic basis of modern man's speech capability. His "language-ready brain" concept makes the brain...
At the same time, it makes the difference clear about two separate entities. One is the language-ready brain's properties as the setting for language ontogeny and phylogeny. The other is an understanding of language as a set of properties gathered by human beings as the consequence of social interaction. Another aspect that must be emphasized is that many properties of languages are also products gathered through cultural evolution. Essentially, these experts wish to bring broader understanding on the formation of the language-ready brain, which is only one aspect of the completely shaped linguistic brain of the modern man (Boeckx & Benitez-Burraco).
Ge and his team (2015) explored the processing of language by the brain by native speakers of various languages and compared two major views on brain mechanisms.
The first proposes a commonality, while the second argues for specificity. The authors evaluated cortical dynamics in processing Chinese and English through a functional MRI and causal modeling analysis. They thoroughly computed and compared all possible connections among the nodes of the cortical language parts of the brain. They found that information moved from the posterior to the anterior of the temporal cortex in common between Chinese and English speakers in the speech comprehension stage. The difference is…
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Boeckx, C and Benitez-Burraco, A. (2014). The shape of human language-ready-brain.
Vol. 6 Article 292, Frontiers in Psychology: Boeckx and Benitez-Burraco: Research
Gate
Ge, J. et al. (2015). Criss-language differences in the brain network subserving intelligible speech. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science: National
Language and Language Practices Language is the written and verbal method by which people communicate with one another. It employs sounds or written designs that are understood by others to create words, phrases, and sentences. Other species have language, as well, but it is not believed to be as complex as the language used by human beings (Bloomfield, 1914; Deacon, 1998). There are many facets to language, and there are nuances
Language & Cognition The relationship between language and cognition continues to be an area of science that is heavily studied and for which research builds in exciting ways (Aitchison, 2007). New learnings about cognition and language are intimately tied to technological advances as neuropsychologists and others probe the human brain ever more deeply and meaningfully (Aitchison, 2007). Language and lexicon. Language is understood to be the symbolic representation of human thought (Yule,
Language and Thinking Language is the one aspect, which distinguishes human beings from lower species of life (Faccone et al. 2000). Sternberg (1999 as qtd in Faccone et al.) lists its properties as including communication, arbitrary symbolism, regular structure, structure at multiple levels, generation and production and dynamism. Sternberg assumes that language is most likely acquired naturally from the environment where a person is raised as an infant. The stages seem
Language Learning Acquisition My Language Learning Acquisition Learning languages that are not native to you is not easy, but it is something that can be done by people who are passionate and dedicated. The easiest way to learn a language is through immersion into that language, and the best time to learn is as a child. Children soak up so much of what they see and hear all around them, that they
The evidence for the biological basis of language is strong, however; researchers have found that newborn infants thought to be at a stage of development that precluded language abilities have been shown to recognize and express interest in spoken syllabic patterns over randomized syllables, and to retain that recognition over long periods of time (Gervain et al. 2008). The authors of this study conclude that the newborn brain is
The reality is that the universal grammar theory attempts to lay general structures that can be traced among languages. Therefore, if a constant 'X' is true then 'Y' will be equally true. It puts down how all languages expand when subjected to a given set of fundamental principles. With these principles, universal grammar enables us to try out word order prediction in languages, the phonemes, syntax etc. Several linguists hold