Abstract
AbstractA critical issue for understanding language processing in the brain is whether linguistic rule application is subserved by a distinct neural substrate. Previous evidence based on electroencephalographic measurements is indirect because studies focus on neural changes after rule violation, which may reflect processes caused by the violation such as error handling. Here we show that correct rule-governed formations are associated with left frontal negative-going activity, providing direct evidence for rule application in the brain.
Highlights
A critical issue for understanding language processing in the brain is whether linguistic rule application is subserved by a distinct neural substrate
The regular form walked is understood as a result of a mental operation that combines the stem walk with the regular suffix –ed, while the irregular form went is assumed to be stored in the mental lexicon
Evidence for rule application as a separate neural process has been sought by measuring event-related potentials (ERPs) employing electroencephalography (EEG)
Summary
A critical issue for understanding language processing in the brain is whether linguistic rule application is subserved by a distinct neural substrate. One of the unique human capacities is the ability to produce and understand an infinite number of linguistic forms such as sentences or complex words[1]. Following Noam Chomsky[2], many scholars have captured this capacity by distinguishing between rules that underlie our production and understanding of complex forms and a mental lexicon (the storage system) holding the units that the rules apply to.
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