Locating meaning in interaction, not in the brain

Pulvermüller's attempt to link language with brain activity appears to depend on the assumption that words have context-independent meanings. An examination of everyday talk contradicts this assumption. The meaning that speakers convey depends not only on word content, but also, and importantly...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Behavioral and brain sciences 1999-04, Vol.22 (2), p.304-305
Main Authors: Turnbull, William, Carpendale, Jeremy I. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brain
Cognition & reasoning
Language
Learning
Open Peer Commentary
Pulvermüller: Brain's language
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Summary:Pulvermüller's attempt to link language with brain activity appears to depend on the assumption that words have context-independent meanings. An examination of everyday talk contradicts this assumption. The meaning that speakers convey depends not only on word content, but also, and importantly, on the location of a “word” in an ongoing sequence of turns in talk.
ISSN:0140-525X
1469-1825
DOI:10.1017/S0140525X99481828