Syntactic Dependencies as Memorized Sequences in the Brain. (27th June 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Grodzinsky, Yosef
• Is Part Of: Canadian journal of linguistics. Volume 50:Number 1/4(2005)
• Page Start: 241
• Page End: 266
• Publication Date: 2016-06-27
• Subjects: Linguistics -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 410.5
• DOI: 10.1017/S0008413100003728
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0008-4131

Abstract

Abstract: The prospects of a cognitive neuroscience of syntax are considered with respect to functional neuroanatomy of two seemingly independent systems: Working Memory and syntactic representation and processing. It is proposed that these two systems are more closely related than previously supposed. In particular, it is claimed that a sentence with anaphoric dependencies involves several Working Memories, each entrusted with a different linguistic function. Components of Working Memory reside in the Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus, which is associated with Broca's region. When lesioned, this area manifests comprehension disruptions in the ability to analyze intra-sentential dependencies, suggesting that Working Memory spans over syntactic computations. The unification of considerations regarding Working Memory with a purely syntactic approach to Broca's regions leads to the conclusion that mechanisms that compute transformations—and no other syntactic relations—reside in this area.