Written By Jasmine Kaur
Introduction
Language is a system of words, gestures, and symbols used to convey meaning. It sets people apart from all other organisms. Every known human society has had a language. Though some nonhumans may be able to communicate with one another in fairly complex ways, like dolphins and songbirds for example, yet none of their communication systems begin to approach human language in its ability to convey information. Certain parts of the brain help process and decode the language, be it spoken or signed. The brain, a complex organ that controls and regulates every process within our body, unsurprisingly plays a crucial role in producing and understanding the language we use to communicate. How the brain processes language remains an area of interest across several fields such as psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics.
Why is Human Language Special?
Humans have a unique method of communicating using a formal, structured language that animals do not possess. Animals use sounds and codes to communicate in basic ways, such as to signal danger, find food, or mate. However, their communication lacks structure and composition. In contrast, humans have a formal communication structure with two distinctively human characteristics. These characteristics are compositional and referential. Compositional language allows humans to create an unlimited number of new sentences by combining and recombining groups of words into subjects, verbs, and objects, and recognizing past, present, and future tenses. Referential language allows speakers to exchange specific information about people, objects, locations, or actions. Additionally, humans have a combinatorial communication system where they can combine two or more signals. This system is rare and is only present in humans, as we are the only known species with enough socio-cognitive capacity to engage in ostensive communication.
Sentence Processing
Let’s attempt to understand sentence processing, which is the basic process of the brain to process and understand language. Sentence processing distinguishes three linguistic processing phases after the initial phase of acoustic analysis. Local Phrase Structure is the first sentence-level processing phase. It has no grammar restrictions and is based on word category information. Word category information is proposed to be a guide in the build-up of sentence structures. The second phase, Syntactic and Semantic Relations, involves figuring out the relations between the verb and its arguments. This leads to the allocation of thematic roles (who is doing what to whom) for interpretation. Once this happens, comprehension takes place. Phase three, that is, Integration of Information, happens when a sentence’s semantic and syntactic information are not easily mapped. This phase involves a final review and integration of different information types, such as context or word knowledge.
Anatomy of Language
Several areas in our brain are crucial for speech and language. Broca's area is situated in the left hemisphere and is responsible for speech production and articulation. This area plays a vital role in our ability to express ideas and use words accurately, whether it is in written or spoken language. Wernicke's area is located in the posterior superior temporal lobe and is a critical language area that is connected to Broca's area by a neural pathway. This area is mainly involved in language comprehension and processing, whether it is written or spoken. The angular gyrus allows us to associate auditory, visual, or sensory information. It is located near the parietal lobe, which is responsible for tactile sensation, the occipital lobe, which is involved in visual analyses, and the temporal lobe, which processes sounds. The angular gyrus allows us to perceive a word and associate it with different sensations, images, and ideas.
Disorders of Speech & Language
Aphasia is the term used to describe an acquired loss of language that causes problems with any or all of the following: speaking, listening, reading and writing. People with expressive aphasia have trouble using words and sentences. Those with receptive aphasia have problems understanding others. Global aphasia involves struggles with both using words and understanding. Aphasia can cause difficulties with both spoken and written language. Typically, reading and writing are more affected than speaking or comprehension.
References
(Aronoff, 2007)
Aronoff, M. (2007). Language (linguistics). Scholarpedia.org. http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Language_(linguistics)
(In, 2020)
In, D. (2020, January 9). How the brain processes language. Iris Reading; Iris Reading LLC. https://irisreading.com/how-the-brain-processes-language/
(Speech & language, n.d.)
Speech & language. (n.d.). Memory and Aging Center. Retrieved February 21, 2024, from https://memory.ucsf.edu/symptoms/speech-language
Comments