IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nathum/v1y2017i10d10.1038_s41562-017-0184-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Language, mind and brain

Author

Listed:
  • Angela D. Friederici

    (Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences)

  • Noam Chomsky

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Robert C. Berwick

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Andrea Moro

    (University School for Advanced Studies IUSS - Pavia)

  • Johan J. Bolhuis

    (Utrecht University
    University of Cambridge)

Abstract

Language serves as a cornerstone of human cognition. However, our knowledge about its neural basis is still a matter of debate, partly because ‘language’ is often ill-defined. Rather than equating language with ‘speech’ or ‘communication’, we propose that language is best described as a biologically determined computational cognitive mechanism that yields an unbounded array of hierarchically structured expressions. The results of recent brain imaging studies are consistent with this view of language as an autonomous cognitive mechanism, leading to a view of its neural organization, whereby language involves dynamic interactions of syntactic and semantic aspects represented in neural networks that connect the inferior frontal and superior temporal cortices functionally and structurally.

Suggested Citation

  • Angela D. Friederici & Noam Chomsky & Robert C. Berwick & Andrea Moro & Johan J. Bolhuis, 2017. "Language, mind and brain," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 1(10), pages 713-722, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:1:y:2017:i:10:d:10.1038_s41562-017-0184-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-017-0184-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-017-0184-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41562-017-0184-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:1:y:2017:i:10:d:10.1038_s41562-017-0184-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.