Abstract

The recent conceptual achievement that the cortical motor system plays a crucial role not only in motor control but also in higher cognitive functions has given a new perspective also on the involvement of motor cortex in language perception and production. In particular, there is evidence that the matching mechanism based on mirror neurons can be involved in both pho-nological recognition and retrieval of meaning, especially for action word categories, thus suggesting a contribution of an action–perception mechanism to the automatic comprehension of semantics. Furthermore, a compari-son of the anatomo-functional properties of the frontal motor cortex among different primates and their communicative modalities indicates that the combination of the voluntary control of the gestural communication systems and of the vocal apparatus has been the critical factor in the transition from a gestural-based communication into a predominantly speech-based system. Finally, considering that the monkey and human premotor-parietal motor system, plus the prefrontal cortex, are involved in the sequential motor organization of actions and in the hierarchical combination of motor elements, we propose that elements of such motor organization have been exploited in other domains, including some aspects of the syntactic structure of language.

Highlights

  • The aim of this article is to show the strong link existing between the motor system and language, with a particular emphasis on the relationship between the mirror neuron mechanism, thought to be involved in action understanding, and the mechanism underlying language comprehension

  • Several issues of the debate concerning the role of the motor system in speech perception and language require a deeper elaboration of the different perspectives, we deliberately focus on the motor system and the action–perception mechanisms to emphasize their central contribution in different aspects of perception processes occurring in language and to challenge a theoretical position in linguistics and cognitive sciences that considers sensory and motor information processes as separate domains

  • It has been concluded that the neuronal discharge obtained in the partially occluded condition codes the goal of the act, even though its target is not visible. Monkey had to both observe motor acts and listen to the sound of these noisy acts, while the response of mirror neurons was recorded (Kohler et al 2002) The results showed that a sub-category of them discharged during motor act observation and during pure listening to the sound produced by that act (‘audio-visual mirror neurons’)

Read more

Summary

Introduction

The aim of this article is to show the strong link existing between the motor system and language, with a particular emphasis on the relationship between the mirror neuron mechanism, thought to be involved in action understanding, and the mechanism underlying language comprehension. This is possible through the anatomical connections between parietal and motor cortex Note that this link ensures two functions: (i) the transformation of an external input (e.g., an object) into a motor format (e.g., grasping) and (ii) a sensorimotor matching mechanism, providing an automatic attribution of motor meaning to the sensory input addressing a specific motor representation. This neuronal visual response represents a pragmatic description of the object because the object is described in motor terms Another example of a sensorimotor matching process that allows individuals to achieve a specific understanding of the external world is the mirror matching mechanism. The existence of a variety of sensorimotor matching mechanisms suggest that these systems have been selected in the phylogenesis because of their pragmatic role and their capacity to perform two functions: sensorimotor integration and achievement of a motor knowledge of the external world

Mirror Neurons in the Monkey
The Mirror System in Humans
The Involvement of the Mirror System in Imitation
Matching Sounds with Actions
Vocal and Gestural Communication
Gestures in Monkeys and Apes
Toward the Integration of Vocalization with Gestures
Hypothetical Transitions from Gestures to Language
Action Sequences and Syntax
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call