Distributed Sensitivity to Syntax and Semantics throughout the Language Network

Human language is expressive because it is : The meaning of a sentence (semantics) can be inferred from its structure (syntax). It is commonly believed that language syntax and semantics are processed by distinct brain regions. Here, we revisit this claim using precision fMRI methods to capture sepa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cognitive neuroscience 2024-06, Vol.36 (7), p.1427-1471
Main Authors: Shain, Cory, Kean, Hope, Casto, Colton, Lipkin, Benjamin, Affourtit, Josef, Siegelman, Matthew, Mollica, Francis, Fedorenko, Evelina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Brain - diagnostic imaging
Brain - physiology
Brain Mapping
Female
Humans
Language
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Neural Pathways - physiology
Semantics
Young Adult
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Human language is expressive because it is : The meaning of a sentence (semantics) can be inferred from its structure (syntax). It is commonly believed that language syntax and semantics are processed by distinct brain regions. Here, we revisit this claim using precision fMRI methods to capture separation or overlap of function in the brains of individual participants. Contrary to prior claims, we find distributed sensitivity to both syntax and semantics throughout a broad frontotemporal brain network. Our results join a growing body of evidence for an integrated network for language in the human brain within which internal specialization is primarily a matter of degree rather than kind, in contrast with influential proposals that advocate distinct specialization of different brain areas for different types of linguistic functions.
ISSN:0898-929X
1530-8898
1530-8898
DOI:10.1162/jocn_a_02164