The Neuroscience of Language: On Brain Circuits of Words and Serial Order

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Preface......Page 13
1.1 Structure and Function of the Book......Page 19
1.2 Paths Through the Book......Page 20
1.3.4 Chapter 4: Words in the Brain......Page 22
1.3.8 Chapter 7: Basic Syntax......Page 23
1.3.12 Chapter 11: Neuronal Grammar and Algorithms......Page 24
1.3.17 Excursus E5: Multiple Reverberations and Multiple Center Embeddings......Page 25
1.3.19 Chapter 14: Linguistics and the Brain......Page 26
CHAPTER TWO Neuronal Structure and Function......Page 27
2.1.1 Anatomy of a Nerve Cell......Page 28
2.1.2 Basics of the Cortex......Page 31
2.1.3 Internal Wiring of the Cortex......Page 34
2.2 Neuronal Function and Learning......Page 36
2.3 Principles and Implications......Page 38
2.4.1 Why Numerous Neurons Should Cooperate......Page 40
2.4.2 The Need for Connecting Neurons in Distant Cortical Areas......Page 41
2.5 Defining Functional Webs......Page 42
2.6 Evidence for Functional Webs......Page 44
2.7 A View of Cortical Function......Page 46
2.8 Temporal Dynamics in Functional Webs: Ignition and Reverberation......Page 47
3.1 Aphasiology......Page 51
3.2 Laterality of Language......Page 57
3.3 Neuroimaging of Language......Page 62
3.4 Summary......Page 66
4.1 Word-Form Webs......Page 68
4.2.1 Visually Related and Action Words......Page 74
4.3 The Time Course of Lexical and Semantic Activation......Page 80
4.4 Summary and Conclusions......Page 82
EXCURSUS ONE Explaining Neuropsychological Double Dissociations......Page 84
E1.1 Functional Changes in a Lesioned Network: The Nonlinear Deterioration of Performance with Growing Lesion Size......Page 85
E1.2 Broca’s vs. Wernicke’s Aphasias......Page 87
CHAPTER FIVE Regulation, Overlap, and Web Tails......Page 92
5.1.1 The Overactivation Problem in Auto-associative Memories......Page 93
5.1.3 Sparse Coding......Page 94
5.1.4 A Cybernetic Model of Feedback Regulation of Cortical Activity......Page 96
5.1.5 Striatal Regulation of Cortical Activity......Page 98
5.1.6 Summary......Page 99
5.2 Overlapping Representations......Page 100
5.2.1 Homophones and Form-Related Words......Page 101
5.2.2 Synonyms......Page 105
5.2.3 Prototypes and Family Resemblance......Page 106
5.3.2 Linking Phonological, Orthographical, and Meaning-Related Information......Page 109
5.4 Summary......Page 113
CHAPTER SIX Neural Algorithms and Neural Networks......Page 114
6.1 McCulloch and Pitts’s Logical Calculus as a Starting Point......Page 115
6.2 Symbolic Connectionist Models of Language......Page 125
6.3 Distributed Connectionist Models of Language......Page 130
6.4.1 Word Category Deficits......Page 133
6.4.2 The Development of Rules in the Brain......Page 137
CHAPTER SEVEN Basic Syntax......Page 142
7.1 Rewriting Rules......Page 143
7.2 Center Embedding......Page 146
7.3 Discontinuous Constituents and Distributed Words......Page 152
7.4 Defining Word Categories in Terms of Complements: Dependency Syntax......Page 157
7.5 Syntactic Trees......Page 159
7.6 Questions for a Neuronal Grammar......Page 162
8.1 Neurophysiological Evidence and Neuronal Models......Page 165
8.2 A Putative Basis of Phonological Processing......Page 169
8.3 Can Synfire Chains Realize Grammar?......Page 172
8.4 Functional Webs Composed of Synfire Chains......Page 174
8.5 Summary......Page 176
9.1 Movement Detection......Page 177
9.2 Sequence Detectors for Word Strings......Page 179
9.3 Sequence Detectors and Syntactic Structure......Page 181
CHAPTER TEN Neuronal Grammar......Page 186
10.2 Neuronal Sets......Page 187
10.3 Threshold Control......Page 193
10.4 Sequence Detection in Networks of Neuronal Sets......Page 195
10.5 Activity Dynamics of Sequence Detection......Page 199
10.6.1 Why Lexical Categories?......Page 204
10.6.2 Lexical Ambiguity......Page 205
10.6.3 Lexical Categories as Sets of Sequence Sets......Page 208
10.6.4 Neuronal Requirements of a Grammar Machine......Page 210
10.6.5 Lexical Disambiguation by Sequence Sets......Page 212
10.7 Summary: Principles of Neuronal Grammar......Page 218
11.1 Regular Associations, Associative Rules......Page 225
11.2 A Formalism for Grammar Networks......Page 227
11.3 Some Differences Between Abstract and Neuronal Grammar......Page 229
11.4 Summary......Page 232
E2.1 Examples, Algorithms, and Networks......Page 233
E2.2 Grammar Circuits at Work......Page 235
E2.2.1 Simulation 1: Acceptance of a Congruent String......Page 237
E2.2.2 Simulation 2: Processing of an Incongruent String......Page 238
E2.2.3 Simulation 3: Processing of a Partly Congruent String......Page 240
EXCURSUS THREE A Web Response to a Sentence......Page 242
E3.1 The Grammar Algorithm and Network......Page 243
E3.2 Sentence Processing in Syntactic Circuits......Page 245
E3.2.1 Global Characteristics......Page 246
E3.2.2 Specific Features......Page 249
E3.3 Discussion of the Implementation and Simulation......Page 250
CHAPTER TWELVE Refining Neuronal Grammar......Page 253
12.1 Complements and Adjuncts......Page 254
12.2 Multiple Activity States of a Neuronal Set......Page 256
12.2.1 The Concept of Multiple Reverberation......Page 257
12.2.2 Some Revised Principles of Neuronal Grammar......Page 259
12.3 Multiple Center Embedding......Page 263
12.4 Summary, Open Questions, and Outlook......Page 265
EXCURSUS FOUR Multiple Reverberation for Resolving Lexical Ambiguity......Page 268
EXCURSUS FIVE Multiple Reverberations and Multiple Center Embeddings......Page 273
13.1 Making Predictions......Page 283
13.2 Neuronal Grammar and Syntax-Related Brain Potentials......Page 284
14.1 Why Are Linguistic Theories Abstract?......Page 288
14.2 How May Linguistic Theory Profit from a Brain Basis?......Page 290
References......Page 295
General......Page 315
Syntactic and Lexical Categories......Page 316
Author Index......Page 319
Subject Index......Page 325