刊讯｜SSCI 期刊《神经语言学》2023年第65-68卷

JOURNAL OF NEUROLINGUISTICS

Volume 65-68, June 2023

JOURNAL OF NEUROLINGUISTICS（SSCI二区，2022 IF：2，排名：53/194）2023年第65-68卷共发文33篇，其中研究性论文30篇，评论文章3篇。研究论文涉及语域转换、二语习得、双语言记忆、语义特征、重音语音语义处理、失语症、动词加工、大脑网络结构、短语理解动态过程等。欢迎转发扩散！

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目录

VOLUME 65

ARTICLES

■Precuneus stimulation alters abstract verbal memory encoding, by Jing Yan, Wenjuan Li, Tingting Zhang, Qian Zhang, Junjun Zhang, Zhenlan Jin, Ling Li.

■ Agrammatism in a usage-based theory of grammatical status: Impaired combinatorics, compensatory prioritization, or both?, by Kasper Boye, Roelien Bastiaanse, Peter Harder, Silvia Martínez-Ferreiro.

■ Register switching involving lexical-semantic processing in Russian: An ERP study, by Anna Yurchenko, Vardan Arutiunian, Natalia Maas Shitova, Mira Bergelson, Olga Dragoy.

■ Familiar language in treatment-resistant depression: Effects of deep brain stimulation of the subcallosal cingulate, by Kelly A. Bridges, Helen Mayberg, Diana Van Lancker Sidtis, John J. Sidtis.

■ Noncombinatorial grammar: A challenge for memory research on second language acquisition and bilingualism, by Stefano Rastelli.

■ Prediction of semantic features is modulated by global prediction reliability: Evidence from the N400 effect, by Wenjia Zhang, Jie Dong, Xu Duan, Yi Zhang, Xuefei Gao, Anna Zhen, Jie Zhang, Hao Yan.

■ Visual similarity with L1 facilitates the neural specialization for scripts of L2, by Manni Feng, Longfei An, Peng Wang, Ye Zhang.

■ Word picture verification performance reveals auditory comprehension deficits in primary progressive aphasia, by Matteo Fuoli, Isobelle Clarke, Viola Wiegand, Hendrik Ziezold, Michaela Mahlberg, .

■ Neurophysiologic Patterns of Semantic Processing of Accented Speech, by Ilse Wambacq, Iyad Ghanim, Samantha Greenfield, Janet Koehnke, Joan Besing, Caitlin Chauvette, Caitlin Yesis.

REVIEW ARTICLE

■ A systematic review: Idiom comprehension in aphasia: The effects of stimuli and task type, by Anastasia Lada, Philippe Paquier, Christina Manouilidou, Stefanie Keulen.

VOLUME 66

ARTICLE

■ Rethinking motor region role in verb processing: Insights from a neurolinguistic study of noun-verb dissociation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, by Edoardo Nicolò Aiello, Debora Pain, Marcello Gallucci, Sarah Feroldi, Lucilla Guidotti, Gabriele Mora, Claudio Luzzatti.

■ Second language age of acquisition effects in a word naming task: A regression analysis of ERP data, by Jue Wang, Xin Jiang, Baoguo Chen.

■ Frontotemporal effective connectivity revealed a language-general syntactic network for Mandarin Chinese, by Luyao Chen, Chenyang Gao, Zhongshan Li, Emiliano Zaccarella, Angela D. Friederici, Liping Feng.

■ Better early than late for a filler: An fMRI study on the filler-gap order in language, by Ting-wu Lee, Shiao-hui Chan.

VOLUME 67

ARTICLE

■ Priming creativity: On how a divergent thinking task modulates lexico-semantic processing, by Xin Wang, Katarzyna Jankowiak, Bing Mei.

■ Resource sharedness between language and music processing: An ERP study, by Degao Li, Xing Wang, Yi Li, Dangui Song, Wenling Ma.

■ Higher or lower? The relative morality in Chinese metaphorically associated with vertical space, by Ying Li, Weijuan Tian, Bingjie Liu, Siyi Zhao, Yue Wang.

■ Generalized additive mixed modeling of EEG supports dual-route accounts of morphosyntax in suggesting no word frequency effects on processing of regular grammatical forms, by David Abugaber, Irene Finestrat, Alicia Luque, Kara Morgan-Short.

■ Inter-individual variability in morphological processing: An ERP study on German plurals, by Laura Anna Ciaccio, Audrey Bürki, Harald Clahsen.

■ Bilingual language control adapts to language switching training: More ERP evidence from late unbalanced bilinguals, by Min Bao, Xuesong (Andy) Gao, Pages 602–606.

■ Ken Hyland and Lillian C. Wong: Specialised English: New Directions in ESP and EAP Research and Practice, by Chunyan Kang, Fengyang Ma, Shuhua Li, Taomei Guo.

■ Correlation between white matter tract integrity and language impairment after traumatic brain injury, by Yoonhye Na, JeYoung Jung, Hae In Lee, Jae Ik Lee, Sung-Bom Pyun.

■ The effect of time on lexical and syntactic processing in aphasia, by Carolyn Baker, Tracy Love.

REVIEW ARTICLES

■ Language deficits in GRIN2A mutations and Landau–Kleffner syndrome as neural dysrhythmias, by Antonio Benítez-Burraco, Koji Hoshi, Elliot Murphy.

VOLUME 68

ARTICLE

■ Perceptual strength influences lexical decision in Alzheimer's disease, by A. Miceli, E. Wauthia, K. Kandana Arachchige, L. Lefebvre, L. Ris, I. Simoes Loureiro.

■ The influence of temporal information on online processing of counterfactual conditional sentences: Evidence from ERPs on temporal indicators, by Qiaoyun Liao, Lingda Kong, Xiaoming Jiang.

■ The effects of lexical representation on the dynamic process of phrase comprehension, by Fei Li, Xu Xu.

■ The processing of Which interrogative sentences: A behavioral and ERP study, by Mirko Grimaldi, Marica De Vincenzi, Paolo Lorusso, Francesco Di Russo, Rosalia Di Matteo , Luigi Rizzi, Maria Teresa Guasti.

■ The effects of second-language age of acquisition on brain structural networks: A DTI study of high-proficient bilinguals, by Ling Zhao, Liu Tu, Meng Zhang, Xiaojin Liu, Ximin Pan, Junjing Wang, Zhi Lu, Meiqi Niu, Shiya Li, Fangyuan Zhou, Qin Wan, Bo Jiang, Ruiwang Huang.

■ Word class effect on L2 ambiguous word acquisition: Evidence from ERPs, by Xuefeng Yang, Lijuan Liang, Baoguo Chen.

■ Gender congruency between languages influence second-language comprehension: Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence, by Alba Casado, Pilar Ferré, Daniela Paolieri.

■ The effect of second language immersion and musical experiences on second language speech processing and general auditory processing, by Cuicui Wang, Krystal Flemming, Yanpei Wang, Vesa Putkinen, Mari Tervaniemi, Jessica Lammert, Sha Tao, Marc F. Joanisse.

■ Using lexical semantic cues to mitigate interference effects during real-time sentence processing in aphasia, by Niloofar Akhavan, Henrike K. Blumenfeld, Lewis Shapiro, Tracy Love.

■ Functional connectivity during morphosyntactic processing: An fMRI study in balanced Turkish-Persian bilinguals, by Simin Meykadeh, Ali Khadem, Simone Sulpizio, Werner Sommer.

REVIEW ARTICLE

■ A systematic review of neuroimaging approaches to mapping language in individuals, by Aahana Bajracharya, Jonathan E. Peelle.

摘要

Precuneus stimulation alters abstract verbal memory encoding

Jing Yan, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Center for Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China, School of Foreign Languages, Southwest Jiaotong University, China

Wenjuan Li, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Center for Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China

Tingting Zhang, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Center for Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China

Qian Zhang, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Center for Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China, School of Foreign Languages, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, China

Junjun Zhang, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Center for Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China

Zhenlan Jin, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Center for Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China

Ling Li, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Center for Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China

Abstract The present study investigated the role of the precuneus in memory encoding of abstract and concrete words, with the combination of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and continuous Theta Burst Stimulation (cTBS) techniques. The memory encoding process was scanned in the fMRI to detect the regions of interest for the difference in memory formation of these two types of words. The real and sham cTBS stimulations were applied over the left precuneus. The fMRI results showed that the left precuneus was deactivated for the memory encoding of both types of words, with concrete words inducing significantly more deactivation. The cTBS stimulation over the left precuneus significantly reduced the reaction time of retrieval of abstract words but not concrete words. It is concluded that precuneus plays a role in modulating the abstract but not the concrete verbal memory encoding. 

Key words Verbal memory encoding, Abstract words, Precuneus, fMRI, cTBS

Agrammatism in a usage-based theory of grammatical status: Impaired combinatorics, compensatory prioritization, or both?

Kasper Boye, Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Roelien Bastiaanse, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Neurosurgery, The Netherlands

Peter Harder, Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Silvia Martínez-Ferreiro, Gerontology and Geriatrics Research Group, Department of Physiotherapy, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of A Coruña, Spain

Abstract  This paper proposes an understanding of agrammatism from the perspective of a recent usage-based theory of grammatical status, the ProGram theory (Boye and Harder, 2012). According to this theory, grammatical elements have two central properties: they are by convention discursively secondary (i.e. attentional background) and dependent on combination with a host item. The paper first surveys studies of agrammatic speech which, based on or reconsidered in relation to the above-mentioned criteria, show that the usage-based theory makes correct predictions about the behaviour of linguistic elements in agrammatic speech. Subsequently, the paper outlines and discusses two hypotheses about the mechanism behind agrammatism that can be derived from each of the two central properties of grammatical items. According to the prominence hypothesis, agrammatism is due to insufficient overall processing resources; this leads to a prioritization of lexical over grammatical expressions because the latter, being discursively secondary, can be dispensed with for communicative purposes. According to the dependence hypothesis, agrammatism results from an impaired capacity for combining or unifying simple elements into complex wholes: This impairment affects grammatical elements in particular, because these are dependent on (combination with) host items.

Key words Agrammatism, Grammar, Usage-based, Discourse prominence, Attention

Register switching involving lexical-semantic processing in Russian: An ERP study

Anna Yurchenko, Center for Language and Brain, HSE University, Moscow, Russia

Vardan Arutiunian, Center for Language and Brain, HSE University, Moscow, Russia

Natalia Maas Shitova, Mosadex-Ehealth, Nijmegen, Netherlands

Mira Bergelson, School of Philological Studies, HSE University, Moscow, Russia

Olga Dragoy, Center for Language and Brain, HSE University, Moscow, Russia, Institute of Linguistics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Abstract  During a conversation, we are able to switch between different registers, which affects linguistic characteristics of the discourse. However, little is known about the influence of these changes on language processing. In the present study, we investigated the electrophysiological effect of register switching, reflected in vocabulary use (standard vs. non-standard vocabulary, e.g., slang). We analysed event-related potentials (ERPs) accompanying the processing of words that belong to a different register, relative to the sentence context (a slang word in a standard Russian sentence or a standard word in a slang sentence). As compared to the register congruent condition, these words elicited a prolonged N400, similarly to the semantically anomalous sentences. This indicates that integration of a word from incongruent vocabulary, during register switching, implicates additional lexical-semantic processing.

Key words Pragmatic processing, Register switching, Semantic processing, ERPs, N400, Russian

Familiar language in treatment-resistant depression: Effects of deep brain stimulation of the subcallosal cingulate

Kelly A. Bridges, Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York University, 665 Broadway, Suite 9, New York, NY, 10012, USA, Brain and Behavior Laboratory, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Rd., Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA

Helen Mayberg, Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics, Departments of Neurosurgery, Neurology, Neuroscience, & Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Hess CSM Building, Floor 10, Room 110, 1470 Madison Ave., New York, NY, USA

Diana Van Lancker Sidtis, Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York University, 665 Broadway, Suite 9, New York, NY, 10012, USA, Brain and Behavior Laboratory, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Rd., Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA

John J. Sidtis, Brain and Behavior Laboratory, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Rd., Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA, Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, 550 First Ave., New York, NY, 10016, USA

Abstract  Communication, specifically the elements crucial for typical social interaction, can be significantly affected in psychiatric illness, especially depression. Of specific importance to conversational competence are familiar expressions (prefabricated expressions known to the language community) including formulaic expressions (conversational speech formulas and idioms; these are high in nuance) and lexical bundles (fixed linguistic segments that are prevalent in naturalistic conversation; low in nuance). The goals of this study were to examine familiar language production in the naturalistic, conversational speech of individuals with treatment-resistant depression before and after receiving surgical deep brain stimulation of the subcallosal cingulate white matter pathways and to compare their performance to healthy adults’ familiar language use. Results revealed fewer conversational speech formulas (typically nuanced) produced by those with depression pre- and post-operatively as compared to healthy controls. There was an increase in the production of non-nuanced familiar expressions (largely lexical bundles) and a decrease in nuanced expressions (formulaic expressions) post-operatively when compared to the pre-operative condition for those with depression. These results conform to a recent model that distinguishes three distinct classes of familiar language, based on linguistic and neurological criteria. This study offers a first look at familiar language in depression and provides a foundation for further study into the pragmatic components of communication to help address the often-reported diminished social connectedness experienced by those with depression.

Key words Max familiar language, Formulaic expressions, Lexical bundles, Depression, Deep brain stimulation

Noncombinatorial grammar: A challenge for memory research on second language acquisition and bilingualism

Stefano Rastelli, Università di Pavia – Laboratorio di Linguistica e Glottodidattica Sperimentale (LLEGS), Italy

Abstract Research on second language acquisition has greatly benefitted from the declarative procedural model (DPM). The DPM proposes that declarative and procedural memory support – respectively – the acquisition of the L2 lexicon and L2 grammar. However, over the years, the meaning of ‘grammar’ and ‘lexicon’ within the DPM has changed, perhaps as a result of the changes occurred in linguistic theory. In particular, a number of studies coupled the combinatorial rules of grammar supported by procedural memory with patterns of usage and probabilistic rules. Such specification apparently excluded ‘noncombinatorial grammar’, which is the grammar computed over frequency-independent features. This paper first discusses the evolution of ‘grammar’ and ‘lexicon’ within the DPM, then describes a number of noncombinatorial phenomena that have been overlooked in memory studies on bilingualism. The aim is to encourage future research on whether and how especially procedural memory can also support the acquisition of noncombinatorial grammar.

Key words Declarative procedural model, Second language acquisition, Statistical and grammatical learning

Prediction of semantic features is modulated by global prediction reliability: Evidence from the N400 effect

Wenjia Zhang, Key Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience of Language, Xi'an International Studies University, Xi'an, China

Jie Dong, Key Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience of Language, Xi'an International Studies University, Xi'an, China

Xu Duan, Key Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience of Language, Xi'an International Studies University, Xi'an, China

Yi Zhang, Key Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience of Language, Xi'an International Studies University, Xi'an, China

Xuefei Gao, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, 4059, Australia

Anna Zhen, Department of Psychology, St. John's University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, NY, 11439, USA

Jie Zhang, Department of Radiation Medicine, Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China

Hao Yan, Key Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience of Language, Xi'an International Studies University, Xi'an, China

Abstract  Lexical predictability has been shown to be modulated by the global context, but it is unclear whether the global context has a similar modulating effect on the prediction of semantic features. Event-related potentials (ERP) should be helpful in addressing this question, as the N400 effect is sensitive to both lexical predictability and the prediction of semantic features during sentence comprehension. The present study manipulated the semantic similarity between unpredictable target words and expected words in experimental sentences. Different types of filler sentences (predictable vs. incongruous) were used to manipulate the global prediction reliability (GPR). The ERP results showed that, in the predictable filler block, the N400 was reduced when there was high semantic similarity between the unpredictable target word and expected word in the experimental sentences. However, this association was absent in the incongruous filler block, in which participants were discouraged from predicting the upcoming information. These results suggest that the prediction of semantic features of upcoming words could be modulated by the global context.

Key words N400, Prediction, Semantic similarity, Global prediction reliability, Semantic features

Visual similarity with L1 facilitates the neural specialization for scripts of L2

Manni Feng, Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Longfei An, Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Lab of Social Cognition and Decision Making, Institute of Arts and Humanities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

Peng Wang, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Brain Networks Group, Leipzig, Germany; Faculty of Human Sciences, Institute of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

Ye Zhang, Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; TMS Center, Deqing Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Abstract  The neural mechanism underlying the acquisition of scripts of a second language (L2) is an open issue. The aim of the present study is to investigate the neural specialization for L2 scripts by focusing on the influence of overall visual similarity between first language (L1) and L2. EEG signals were recorded in native Chinese Han readers at the first and ninth months of learning Korean as L2 when they passively viewed Chinese characters (CC), high Chinese-like Korean characters (HKC) and low Chinese-like Korean characters (LKC). Time-frequency analysis revealed that event-related synchronization in the theta band (θ-ERS) is sensitive to CC and Korean character (KC), with a stronger and more left-lateralized θ-ERS for CC and a clear initial response trend of left-/right-lateralization for HKC/LKC. After nine months of learning, increased θ-ERS was shown for both HKC and LKC, whereas robust left lateralization was observed only for HKC. These results suggest that high visual similarity to native language scripts may facilitate the progress of neural specialization for L2. These findings were discussed in light of the “neural recycling” theory.

Key words Visual character processing, Visual similarity, Second language learning, Neural specialization, Neural recycling

Word picture verification performance reveals auditory comprehension deficits in primary progressive aphasia

Samuel Suh, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Phipps 546, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

Elizabeth DeLuque, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Phipps 546, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

Catherine Kelly, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Phipps 546, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

Xander Lee, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Phipps 546, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

Rachel Fabian Mace, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Phipps 546, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

Kristina Ruch, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Phipps 546, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

Massoud Sharif, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Phipps 546, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

Melissa D. Stockbridge, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Phipps 546, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA 

Emilia Vitti, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Phipps 546, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

Donna C. Tippett, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Phipps 546, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Phipps 178, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center, 6th floor, 601 N. Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

Abstract  Word/picture verification has been found to be a sensitive measure of lexical-semantic abilities in post-stroke aphasia and reveals information about disruptions in semantic and phonological processing. Exploration of the nature of auditory comprehension deficits using word/picture verification has not been replicated in primary progressive aphasia (PPA). We tested 108 individuals with PPA [logopenic variant PPA (lvPPA), n = 50; nonfluent agrammatic PPA (nfaPPA), n = 36; semantic variant PPA (svPPA), n = 22] on a spoken word/picture verification task and a spoken word/picture matching task. The spoken word/picture matching task identified 22 (20%) of individuals as impaired, whereas the spoken word/picture verification task identified 51 (47%) of individuals as impaired (two-tailed p < 0.001). Errors on spoken word/picture verification were due to semantic rather than phonologic foils in lvPPA (nouns, p < 0.001; verbs, p < 0.001), svPPA (nouns, p < 0.001; verbs, p < 0.001), and for nouns (p = 0.001) but not verbs in nfaPPA. Spoken word/picture verification was a more sensitive measure of single-word auditory comprehension deficits in PPA than word/picture matching. The error pattern, consistent with the distributed model of semantic knowledge, suggests that degradation of semantic representations for both nouns and verbs can occur in lvPPA, which may help to distinguish lvPPA versus nfaPPA and guide treatment for anomia.

Key words Primary progressive aphasia, Auditory comprehension, Phonologic, Semantic

Neurophysiologic Patterns of Semantic Processing of Accented Speech

Ilse Wambacq, Montclair State University, Dept of Communication Sciences & Disorders, 1515 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ, 07003, USA

Iyad Ghanim, Kean University, School of Communication Disorders & Deafness, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ, 07083, USA

Samantha Greenfield, Montclair State University, Dept of Communication Sciences & Disorders, 1515 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ, 07003, USA

Janet Koehnke, Montclair State University, Dept of Communication Sciences & Disorders, 1515 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ, 07003, USA

Joan Besing, Montclair State University, Dept of Communication Sciences & Disorders, 1515 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ, 07003, USA

Caitlin Chauvette, Montclair State University, Dept of Communication Sciences & Disorders, 1515 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ, 07003, USA

Caitlin Yesis, Montclair State University, Dept of Communication Sciences & Disorders, 1515 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ, 07003, USA

Abstract Perceiving and comprehending speech depends on the intelligibility of the speech signal. Frequently, communication occurs with adverse listening conditions including background noise or reverberation which compromise the intelligibility of the speech signal. Studies focused on the effects of these extrinsic degrading factors on the perception of a message after it has been produced. Fewer studies, however, explored the effect of a non-native accent on speech perception and comprehension (Anderson-Hsieh et al., 1992; Munro & Derwing, 1995; van Wijngaarden et al., 2002). 

Key words Event-related potentials, N400, Semantic processing, Non-native accent, Speech perception

A systematic review: Idiom comprehension in aphasia: The effects of stimuli and task type

Anastasia Lada, Brussels Centre for Language Studies (BCLS), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, Room B.5.47, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

Philippe Paquier, Brussels Centre for Language Studies (BCLS), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, Room B.5.43, 1050, Brussels, Belgium; Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Translational Neurosciences (TNW), Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerp, Belgium

Christina Manouilidou, Department of Comparative and General Linguistics, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 2, Room R16BI, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Stefanie Keulen, Brussels Centre for Language Studies (BCLS), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, Room B.5.43, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

Abstract Idioms differ from other forms of figurative language because of their semantic dimensions of familiarity (frequency of encounter), ambiguity (possibility to have a literal interpretation), decomposability (possibility of the idiom's words to assist in its figurative interpretation) and transparency (possibility to deduce the original metaphorical motivation of an idiomatic phrase from its literal analysis). A variety of approaches have been used to investigate the way idioms are processed in the brain. Studying clinical populations is one of them. Supporting evidence has been drawn from studies examining subjects suffering from aphasia, typically caused by lesions to a complex language network involving the main language areas in the Left Hemisphere (LH) of the brain. Patients with aphasia sometimes show selective impairment in idiom comprehension, implying that there are types of idioms, less impaired in comprehension, which do not depend solely on the LH of the brain. However, recent literature does not seem to agree in terms of when such preference exists and if the types of idioms and tasks employed play a crucial role.

Key words Aphasia, Idioms, Comprehension, Semantic dimensions, Task type, Neurolinguistics

Rethinking motor region role in verb processing: Insights from a neurolinguistic study of noun-verb dissociation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Edoardo Nicolò Aiello, PhD Program in Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy

Debora Pain, Neurorehabilitation Department, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Milan, Italy

Marcello Gallucci, Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; Milan Center for Neuroscience, NeuroMI, Milan, Italy

Sarah Feroldi, PhD Program in Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy

Lucilla Guidotti, Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy

Gabriele Mora, Neurorehabilitation Department, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Milan, Italy

Claudio Luzzatti, Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; Milan Center for Neuroscience, NeuroMI, Milan, Italy

Abstract Motor regions atrophy has been traditionally assumed to account for selective deficits of verb (V) vs. noun (N) processing in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients via action semantic impairment (Embodied Cognition Theory, ECT). Nonetheless, accounts pertaining to both motor region sensitivity to the morpho-phonological structure of Vs and executive functioning (EF) contribution (task difficulty) have not been evenly endorsed. This study aimed at assessing neurocognitive underpinnings of N and V processing in ALS patients.

ALS patients were compared to healthy participants (HPs) on tasks evaluating N and V semantic and post-semantic processing. Effects of semantic motor content (actionality) of Ns and Vs and of argument structure complexity of Vs were assessed. EF measures were put into relation to language tasks in patients.

Both groups performed worse in V than in N lexical retrieval. Patients had difficulties in retrieving low-actionality Vs, being also sensitive to both transitive Vs and those with 2 and 3 arguments. Patients differed form HPs on both object- and action-semantic measures. EF measures were highly related to patients’ V-retrieval performance.

ECT-framed explanations for N > V discrepancies in ALS patients are inconsistent with the present results. Indeed, ALS patients showed semantic deficits that are not limited to the action domain and retrieved more easily high-actionality Vs. N > V discrepancies in ALS patients would thus reflect a magnification of a differential processing demand for Vs and Ns, which is likely intrinsic to the neurocognitive system. Nonetheless, ALS patients being sensitive to argument structure complexity of Vs might imply motor regions involvement in V post-semantic processing, possibly at the lemma level.

Key words Noun-verb dissociation, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Embodied cognition theory, Actionality, Verb argument structure, Frontotemporal degeneration

Second language age of acquisition effects in a word naming task: A regression analysis of ERP data

Jue Wang, School of Psychology, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, 100083, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

Xin Jiang, School of Psychology, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, 100083, China

Baoguo Chen, Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

Abstract In the present study, Chinese–English bilinguals were asked to name English words in a delayed word naming task while recording the ERP data. We explored the interactions between age of acquisition (AoA) of second language (L2) words and other variables to examine the origins of L2 AoA effects. The results showed significant L2 AoA effects on N400 and LPC, with larger N400 and smaller LPC for later-acquired L2 words. On N170, the L2 AoA effect was modulated by the orthographic neighbourhood size and the spelling–sound onset consistency in the left hemisphere. That is, the L2 AoA effect was significant for words with fewer neighbours and inconsistent mappings but not for words with more neighbours and consistent mappings. Our results showed that L2 AoA has an early and long-lasting influence on word naming, and these effects arise from both spelling–sound connections and semantic representation. These findings support an integrated view of the Semantic and Arbitrary Mapping Hypotheses.

Key words Age of acquisition, Second language, Word naming, Regression analysis, ERP

Frontotemporal effective connectivity revealed a language-general syntactic network for Mandarin Chinese

Luyao Chen, Max Planck Partner Group, School of International Chinese Language Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany

Chenyang Gao, School of Global Education and Development, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China

Zhongshan Li, School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

Emiliano Zaccarella, Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany

Angela D. Friederici, Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany

Liping Feng, Max Planck Partner Group, School of International Chinese Language Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

Abstract Human language is proposed to be hierarchically constructed according to syntactic information. Studies on languages with overt morphosyntactic markers (e.g., German) have found a key frontotemporal syntactic network that includes Broca's area (Brodmann Area, BA 44/45) and the posterior temporal cortex (pTC). Whether this syntactic network is language-general is still unspecified. Mandarin Chinese is a suggestive empirical test case, lacking morphosyntax and relying heavily on function words to guide syntactic hierarchy construction. By developing the jabberwocky sentence paradigm, we created sets of visually-presented Chinese structures formed by function words and pseudo-words (the structure condition), and contrasted the structures with comparable word lists (the word-list condition) in healthy Chinese-speaking adults in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment. Participants were required to identify the syntactic category of each structure by merging its constituents into syntactic hierarchies, guided by function words. Compared with the word-list condition, the structure condition (a) elicited higher involvement of left BA 44, and (b) recruited a language-general syntactic network as revealed by the effective connectivity between BA 44, precentral gyrus, and pTC. These findings specified the neural basis for Chinese syntax and further corroborated the unique human language faculty across languages in a neurobiologically ubiquitous fashion.

Key words Chinese syntax, Function words, Hierarchical syntactic processing, fMRI, Effective connectivity

Better early than late for a filler: An fMRI study on the filler-gap order in language

Ting-wu Lee, Department of English, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan

Shiao-hui Chan, Department of English, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan

Abstract The neural substrates of syntactic movements have been heavily investigated; however, little attention was paid to the fact that there was a cross-linguistic preference for filler-before-gap (filler-first) to gap-before-filler (gap-first) structures in subject-verb-object (SVO) languages. This fMRI study aimed to explore whether there was a cognitive basis for such a preference. Different filler-gap orders resulting from various syntactic movements were tested in Chinese: topicalization (filler-first) and relativization (gap-first, including subject and object relative clauses). The data showed that gap-first vs. filler-first contrasts activated the left anterior temporal gyrus (L-ATL) and sometimes the left thalamus. We argued that the L-ATL (and the left thalamus) was recruited because deeper semantic retrieval was performed on the verb to facilitate its merge with the gap for thematic role assignment. Our results provided a possible cognitive explanation for the preference for filler-first to gap-first structures in SVO languages.

Key words Filler-gap order, Syntactic movement, Relative clause, Topicalization, ATL

Priming creativity: On how a divergent thinking task modulates lexico-semantic processing

Xin Wang, School of Foreign Languages, Henan University, Minglun Street No. 85, Shunhe Hui Ethnic District, Kaifeng City, Henan province, China

Katarzyna Jankowiak, Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Grunwaldzka 6, 60-780, Poznan, Poland

Bing Mei, School of Foreign Languages, Henan University, Minglun Street No. 85, Shunhe Hui Ethnic District, Kaifeng City, Henan province, China

Abstract Little is known on how a task promoting divergent thinking processes modulates brain responses to sentences of different semantic complexity (i.e., novel metaphoric, literal, and anomalous sentences). In the present ERP study, we examined the processing of the three sentence types in two groups of participants: one performing an alternate uses task (AUT) between individual experimental blocks (i.e., the AUT group), and the other one performing no such a task (i.e., the noAUT group). The results showed a graded N400 and LPC effects from literal, to novel metaphoric, and to anomalous sentences in both groups of participants. Importantly, we found a general group effect across all the sentence types, reflected in more positive P200 and less negative N400 responses in the AUT compared to the noAUT group, indicating that while the AUT group engaged more attentional resources during early lexical access, they required less extended cognitive mechanisms at the stage of lexico-semantic processing. The group effect was further observed in the LPC time window, where more positive amplitudes were found in the AUT relative to the noAUT group, suggesting a stronger semantic interconnectivity at the meaning integration stage when primed with a task eliciting divergent thinking processes.

Key words Novel metaphors, Divergent thinking, Alternate uses task, ERPs

Resource sharedness between language and music processing: An ERP study

Degao Li, College of Chinese Language and Literature, Qufu Normal University, Qufu City, China

Xing Wang, College of Chinese Language and Literature, Qufu Normal University, Qufu City, China

Yi Li, College of Music, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao City, China

Dangui Song, School of International Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou City, China

Wenling Ma, College of Chinese Language and Literature, Qufu Normal University, Qufu City, China

Abstract Two experiments were conducted on a cohort of Chinese native speakers using the Event-Related Potential (ERP) technique in the interference paradigm, with acceptable or unacceptable Chinese sentences and chord sequences ending with in- or out-of-key chords as the stimuli. In Experiment 1, the acceptable sentences ending with number-word-classifier-noun collocations became semantically and syntactically unacceptable when the sentence-ending nouns were replaced with verbs. In Experiment 2, a three-word-long relative clause was inserted after the classifier in each sentence. The participants were required to pay attention to sentence reading and ignore the audio playing of the music stimuli. The amplitude of N400 was significantly larger in the unacceptable than in the acceptable sentence condition on the last word in Experiment 1, but only for the regular chord sequences in Experiment 2. In the unacceptable sentence condition in Experiment 2, the amplitude of N400 was significantly smaller for the irregular than for the regular chord sequences. A similar pattern of interaction between the manipulated variables was observed in Experiments 1 and 2 on the amplitude of P600 on the last word. This study presents the first evidence to suggest neural resource sharedness by language and music at both semantic and syntactic levels. Semantic sharedness was observable when long-distance integration was necessary. Two distinct but interacting mechanisms appeared to be used in the syntactic processing in sentence reading and music understanding.

Key words Resource sharedness, Language, Music, ERP

Higher or lower? The relative morality in Chinese metaphorically associated with vertical space

Ying Li, School of Education, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

Weijuan Tian, Henan Vocational Institute of Arts, Zhengzhou, 450011, China

Bingjie Liu, School of Education, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

Siyi Zhao, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Yue Wang, School of Education, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

Abstract Previous research found a metaphorical association between morality and vertical dimension, showing a corresponding relationship of “moral-up, immoral-down”. The present study further explored the relativity of Chinese morality metaphors on a vertical dimension by both behavioral experiments and the event-related potential (ERP) technique. Experiment 1 investigated how Chinese moral words being displayed in different vertical spaces affect semantic judgment. The results showed a faster response of “moral-up, immoral-down” between words than that in a converse condition. Experiment 2 explored how Chinese moral words being displayed on different vertical spaces affect the relativity judgment of moral valence. The results showed a faster response of words relatively higher in morality on the top of space than that on the bottom. Experiment 3 further examined the brain potential activity during the semantic processing of Chinese moral concepts. Words with higher morality activated stronger amplitudes of N200, P300 and also N400 when they were displayed on the bottom than on the top. The results not only indicated a correspondence of “moral-up, immoral-down” between moral concepts and vertical dimension, but also showed a metaphorical association between morality degree and vertical visual dimension. Specifically, concepts with relatively higher morality correspond to the upper space while those with relatively lower morality correspond to the lower space.

Key words Moral concepts, Metaphor, Vertical dimension, Relativity, Event-related potential

Generalized additive mixed modeling of EEG supports dual-route accounts of morphosyntax in suggesting no word frequency effects on processing of regular grammatical forms

David Abugaber, University of Michigan Department of Linguistics, 453C Lorch Hall, 611 Tappan St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, USA

Irene Finestrat, Northwestern University Department of Spanish & Portuguese, 1860 Campus Drive, Crowe Hall 3-107, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA

Alicia Luque, Nebrija University Department of Applied Language Studies, Calle de Santa Cruz de Marcenado, 27, Madrid, 28015, Spain

Kara Morgan-Short, University of Illinois – Chicago Department of Psychology, 1706 University Hall, 601 South Morgan Street, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA

Abstract Single-route models of morphosyntax posit that inflected word processing involves associative memory-based storage, whereas dual-route models propose rule-governed composition as an alternative to storage-based mechanisms. We test these accounts via their divergent predictions on whether word frequency affects processing of regular morphosyntactic inflections (as in the single-route model) or not (dual-route model). To date, the only study to test this using electroencephalography (EEG) comes from Allen, Badecker, and Osterhout (2003), who report no interaction between word grammaticality and word frequency. We conceptually replicate and extend Allen et al. (2003) with generalized additive mixed modeling, which retains per-trial and per-time sample information to avoid loss of statistical power from event-related potential-style averaging of trials while avoiding the assumption that the time course of word processing is identical across all words and individuals. In our EEG study, 51 English native speakers read sentences that either did or did not contain a determiner-noun agreement violation (e.g., this school/*schools) or a subject-verb agreement violation (e.g., the child runs/*run) based on a manipulation of a critical word. We follow the generalized additive mixed modeling procedure from prior research, with word frequency in the British National Corpus as a continuous predictor. We replicated Allen et al.’s (2003) reported main effects of frequency and grammaticality. Critically, we found no significant interaction between frequency and grammaticality. These results support Allen et al. (2003) in aligning with the dual-route model's account of composition-like mechanisms in inflected word processing.

Key words Electroencephalography, Psycholinguistics, Word frequency, Morphosyntax

Inter-individual variability in morphological processing: An ERP study on German plurals

Laura Anna Ciaccio, Potsdam Research Institute for Multilingualism, University of Potsdam, Germany; Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, Free University of Berlin, Germany

Audrey Bürki, Department of Linguistics, University of Potsdam, Germany

Harald Clahsen, Potsdam Research Institute for Multilingualism, University of Potsdam, Germany

Abstract Previous studies on the neuro-cognition of language have provided a strong case for systematic inter-individual variability in event-related potentials (ERPs) evoked during language processing. In the present study, we aimed at extending this evidence to the processing of morphologically complex words. We focused on German plural forms and tested two types of morphological violations: overapplications of regular plural morphemes (‘regularizations’) and of irregular plural morphemes (‘irregularizations’). The group-level results showed a biphasic LAN-P600 response for regularizations, and a P600 for irregularizations. In line with previous reports, our analyses of inter-individual variability suggested that biphasic responses consisting of a negativity followed by a positivity are unlikely to exist at the individual level. Importantly, when analyzing the scalp distribution of ERPs elicited in participants supposed to show negativity-dominant responses, we found this to vary as a function of the type of morphological form: regularizations elicited a left-hemisphere response (LAN), while irregularizations a more widespread negativity (N400). Our results are consistent with dual-route accounts of morphological processing that distinguish between rule-based processing for regular inflection and memory retrieval for irregular inflection. At a more general level, our study shows that complementing group-level results with analyses of inter-individual variability can crucially contribute to a more detailed understanding of brain signatures of language.

Key words Morphological violations, Inflection, Event-related potentials, Response dominance index, LAN

Bilingual language control adapts to language switching training: More ERP evidence from late unbalanced bilinguals

Chunyan Kang, Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, 310018, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 10085, PR China

Fengyang Ma, School of Education, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

Shuhua Li, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 10085, PR China

Taomei Guo, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 10085, PR China; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 10085, PR China

Abstract The present study examines the influence of language switching training on language control in bilingual language production. A group of late unbalanced Chinese-English bilinguals took an eight-day language switching training, during which they named pictures in the language indicated by a simultaneously presented visual cue. Before and after training, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants did a similar language switching task with a cue preceding a picture for 800 ms. The results of stimulus-locked ERPs revealed that after training, the N2 switch effect disappeared, and the overall N2 amplitude increased for both the trained materials and the well-matched untrained materials. These results indicate that language switching training results in less dependency on inhibitory control and stronger response selection with reduction of interference. This study provides further evidence that the language control mechanism can be modulated by language switching experience and suggests an adaptive bilingual language control mechanism.

Key words Bilingual production, Language control, Language switching training, Response selection

The effect of time on lexical and syntactic processing in aphasia

Carolyn Baker, SDSU/UCSD Joint Ph.D. Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego, USA

Tracy Love, SDSU, School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego, USA

Abstract Processing deficits at the lexical level, such as delayed and reduced lexical activation, have been theorized as the source of breakdowns in syntactic operations and thus contribute to sentence comprehension deficits in individuals with aphasia (IWA). In the current study, we investigate the relationship between lexical and syntactic processing in object-relative sentences using eye-tracking while listening in IWA. We explore whether manipulating the time available to process a critical lexical item (the direct-object noun) when it is initially heard in a sentence has an immediate effect on lexical access as well as a downstream effect on syntactic processing. To achieve this aim, we use novel temporal manipulations to provide additional time for lexical processing to occur. In addition to exploring these temporal effects in IWA, we also seek to understand the effect that additional time has on sentence processing in neurotypical age-matched adults (AMC). We predict that the temporal manipulations designed to provide increased processing time for critical lexical items will 1) enhance lexical processing of the target noun, 2) facilitate syntactic integration, and 3) improve sentence comprehension for both IWA and AMC. We demonstrate that strengthening lexical processing via the addition of time can affect lexical processing and facilitate syntactic retrieval of the target noun and lead to enhanced interference resolution in both unimpaired and impaired systems. In aphasia, additional time can mitigate impairments in spreading activation thereby improving lexical access and reducing interference during downstream dependency linking. However, individuals with aphasia may require longer additions of time to fully realize these benefits.

Key words Temporal manipulations, Eye tracking, Real-time sentence processing, Lexical activation, Dependency linking, Aphasia

Language deficits in GRIN2A mutations and Landau–Kleffner syndrome as neural dysrhythmias

Antonio Benítez-Burraco, Department of Spanish, Linguistics, And Theory of Literature (Linguistics), Faculty of Philology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain

Koji Hoshi, Faculty of Economics, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan

Elliot Murphy, Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA; Texas Institute for Restorative Neurotechnologies, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA

Abstract We review epilepsy-related aphasias in connection with GRIN2A mutations, focusing on acquired childhood epileptic aphasias such as Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS). The spontaneous speech of children with LKS exhibits syntactically simplified utterances, severe word finding difficulties, and severe phonological paraphasias. Characterizing LKS as a neural dysrhythmia, we review how EEG abnormalities typically manifested during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep as electrical status epilepticus are related to sleeping disorders partly caused by GRIN2A mutations. Expanding on speculations originally put forward by Landau & Kleffner, 1957, we explore how neural processes such as sharp-wave ripples, sleep spindles, slow oscillations, and their cross-frequency couplings are necessary for language-related processes which are perturbed in LKS, accounting in part for the linguistic profile of epileptic aphasias.

Key words Epileptic aphasia, ESES/CSWS, GRIN2A mutation, Landau-kleffner syndrome, Neural dysrhythmia

Perceptual strength influences lexical decision in Alzheimer's disease

A. Miceli, Department of Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Psychophysiology and Cognitive Electrophysiology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium

E. Wauthia, Department of Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Psychophysiology and Cognitive Electrophysiology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium

K. Kandana Arachchige, Department of Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Psychophysiology and Cognitive Electrophysiology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium

L. Lefebvre, Department of Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Psychophysiology and Cognitive Electrophysiology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium

L. Ris, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Psychophysiology and Cognitive Electrophysiology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium

I. Simoes Loureiro, Department of Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Psychophysiology and Cognitive Electrophysiology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium

Abstract The multimodal approach where cognition is embodied in language, perceptual, motor, and emotional systems is a widely agreed theoretical framework for conceptual representations. However, the lack of work supporting this view of cognition in healthy and pathological aging stands in stark contrast with the ongoing need to understand the factors that uncover semantic degradation in brain pathologies. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of perceptual strength (PS) - i.e., the extent to which a word can be experienced by multiple sensory modalities - in visual word recognition in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thirty-six healthy participants, 22 participants in the mild stage of AD (AD1) and 20 in the moderate stage (AD2) took part in a lexical decision task with two conditions: words with high vs low PS words. Results showed an interaction effect only between healthy controls and AD1 individuals, revealing that the latter were faster in processing high PS words in contrast to low PS words, while this was not the case for healthy individuals. Furthermore, it was specifically the ratings of the neuropsychological executive and lexical-semantic assessments that predicted these results. However, no results were observed for AD2 participants, suggesting that lexical-semantic degradation was too severe to reveal a PS effect. This study demonstrates the importance of considering the perceptual dimension when examining the conceptual system and opens up new avenues in the exploration of semantic impairment in AD.

Key words Alzheimer's disease, Conceptual knowledge, Semantics, Representations, Lexical decision, Perceptual strength

The influence of temporal information on online processing of counterfactual conditional sentences: Evidence from ERPs on temporal indicators

Qiaoyun Liao, Institute of Linguistics, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China

Lingda Kong, Institute of Corpus Studies and Applications, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China

Xiaoming Jiang, Institute of Linguistics, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China

Abstract This study investigated how temporal information influences online processing of Chinese counterfactual sentences. Participants read four types of counterfactuals for answering comprehension questions. The temporal information of the event described in the conditional (antecedent) and the one in the result clause (consequent) varied. The temporal sequence was defined as chronological for a past event in the antecedent and a present event in the consequent and as reverse-chronological for a future event in the antecedent and present event in the consequent. The temporal distance was defined for the event in the antecedent as being long or short-distance from the consequent. ERP results showed a larger N400 and late positivity on the temporal indicator of the consequent in the reverse-chronological condition than the chronological condition. The effect of the temporal distance was observed on the late positivity only when the temporal sequence was reversed. The response time was delayed when the comprehension question followed a reverse-chronological vs. chronological condition and was delayed in the long-vs. short-distance condition when the temporal sequence was reversed. These findings suggest that the reverse-chronological sequence could demand a greater effort in integrating the given temporal information onto the constraint of the mental timeline during the online processing of counterfactuals. A conflict monitoring is triggered to execute the remapping process and such demand is larger when a larger time shift is demanded in the long distance condition. The temporal sequence and temporal distance could differ in their status during online comprehension of counterfactuals, with the temporal sequence serving as a more relevant cue than the temporal distance. These findings highlight the role of temporal information in counterfactual sentence comprehension.

Key words Counterfactuals, Temporal indicator, Temporal distance, Temporal sequence, N400, Late positivity

The effects of lexical representation on the dynamic process of phrase comprehension

Fei Li, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Xu Xu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Abstract Bridging the knowledge gap between lexical representation and sentence processing, this study investigated the dynamic interplay between word-level features and phrase-level contexts in Chinese phrase comprehension. Classifier-noun phrases with two types of nouns, binding vs. compound, representing strong vs. weak semantic composition between constituent characters of the noun, revealed different temporal progressions of constructing a global phrasal representation. Significant facilitation was found for the 1st binding characters, relative to the 1st compound characters, at the intermediate stage of processing (the N400), attributable to the combined advantages of the supporting phrasal context created by the classifier and the strong semantic composition of the binding characters. Subsequently, at the late stage (the LPC), global integration/reanalysis seemed to have been completed one step earlier for phrases with binding nouns, relative to phrases with compound nouns, again thanks to their greater integrity of word-level representations.

Key words Lexical representation, Semantic integration, Classifier-noun phrase, P200, N400, LPC

The processing of Which interrogative sentences: A behavioral and ERP study

Mirko Grimaldi, Centro di Ricerca Interdisciplinare sul Linguaggio (CRIL) – University of Salento, Lecce, Italy

Marica De Vincenzi, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Italy; Marica De Vincenzi’ Foundation ONLUS, Italy

Paolo Lorusso, University of Udine, Italy

Francesco Di Russo, University of Roma “Foro Italico”, Italy; IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Roma, Italy

Rosalia Di Matteo, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Italy

Luigi Rizzi, Collège de France, France

Maria Teresa Guasti, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy

Abstract This study investigates the parsing of Italian Wh-questions of the Which-N type. The extraction site could be either the subject or the object noun phrase. The verb following the Which-noun was either a singular or a plural form, immediately disambiguating the Which-N argument role through verb agreement. Reading time on the verb and on the post-verbal noun phrase were significantly shorter for the subject Wh-question than for the object Wh-question. Multi-channel ERP data showed increased P600 amplitudes for the object questions in response to the critical word on the left temporal lobe in the superior temporal gyrus. These findings are in line with the Minimal Chain Principle (De Vincenzi, 1991a) and provide further evidence for the hypothesis that the amplitude and duration of the P600 involve multi-dimensional processes controlling operations such as prediction, retrieval, revising, and structure-building operations needed for assembly (and disassembly) of syntactic relations.

Key words Wh-questions in Italian, Which-noun interrogatives, Syntactic parsing, Subject-object asymmetries, P600, Source analysis

The effects of second-language age of acquisition on brain structural networks: A DTI study of high-proficient bilinguals

Ling Zhao, School of Psychology; Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education; Center for Studies of Psychological Application; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH University, Aachen, Germany

Liu Tu, College of Foreign Studies, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

Meng Zhang, School of Foreign Language and Trade, Huali College of Guangdong University of Technology, China

Xiaojin Liu, Center for Educational Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, 519087, China

Ximin Pan, Department of Radiology, Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China

Junjing Wang, Department of Applied Psychology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China

Zhi Lu, Center for Translation Studies, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China

Meiqi Niu, School of Psychology; Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education; Center for Studies of Psychological Application; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China

Shiya Li, College of Foreign Studies, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

Fangyuan Zhou, College of Foreign Studies, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

Qin Wan, College of Foreign Studies, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

Bo Jiang, Department of Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou, China

Ruiwang Huang, School of Psychology; Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education; Center for Studies of Psychological Application; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China

Abstract An increasing number of publications have focused on using the brain network perspective to study bilingual learning and cognition. However, no study analyzed the effect of second-language age of acquisition (L2 AoA) on topological properties (e.g. rich club organization) of brain white matter (WM) structural networks. In this study, we acquired diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) datasets from early and late Cantonese (L1)-Mandarin (L2) bilinguals, then constructed brain WM structural networks, and subsequently analyzed their topological properties. As compared with the late bilinguals, significantly higher global efficiency and local efficiency but lower characteristic path length were observed in the early bilinguals. In addition, the early bilinguals showed significantly higher nodal efficiency in the right rolandic operculum and gyrus rectus, as well as higher rich club coefficient and feeder connections than the late bilinguals. Taken together, these results indicated that information exchange and integration are more efficient in the early bilinguals, which provided the structural evidence for understanding the effect of L2 AoA on brain structural plasticity in bilingual learning.

Key words Bilinguals, Second-language (L2) age of acquisition (AoA), Brain plasticity, Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), Brain networks

Word class effect on L2 ambiguous word acquisition: Evidence from ERPs

Xuefeng Yang, Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, China

Lijuan Liang, Bilingual Cognition and Development Lab, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, 510420, China

Baoguo Chen, Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, China

Abstract This study investigated the effect of word class on the acquisition of L2 ambiguous words using electroencephalogram (EEG) technology. We asked Chinese (L1)-English (L2) bilinguals to learn a set of English pseudowords paired with one or two semantically unrelated Chinese meanings, including pseudowords paired with an unambiguous noun meaning (N-unA), pseudowords paired with two noun meanings (NN), and pseudowords paired with a noun meaning and a verb meaning (NV). We recorded three ERP components during learning: P200, N400, and LPC. Behavioral results showed that it was easier to learn ambiguous words with two noun meanings than those with one noun and one verb meaning; unambiguous words were learned better than ambiguous words. The ERP results showed that NV elicited larger P200 and LPC than NN, whereas NN elicited larger N400 than NV, suggesting that the word class of different meanings impacts L2 ambiguous word acquisition, and this word class effect can occur at the initial memory encoding stage of learning. Overall, our results revealed the specific effect of word class on the acquisition of L2 ambiguous words.

Key words Second language, Ambiguous word, Word acquisition, Noun, Verb

Gender congruency between languages influence second-language comprehension: Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence

Alba Casado, Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Department of Experimental Psychology. University of Granada, C/ Profesor Clavera, s/n, 18011, Granada, Spain

Pilar Ferré, Department of Psychology and Research Center for Behavior Assessment, University Rovira i Virgili, Carretera de Valls, s/n, 43007, Tarragona, Spain

Daniela Paolieri, Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Department of Experimental Psychology. University of Granada, C/ Profesor Clavera, s/n, 18011, Granada, Spain

Abstract In the present study we explore whether gender congruency between languages modulates bilinguals’ access to their second language words presented in isolation. We predicted that accessing L2 words that have a different gender across languages (gender-incongruent) would be more costly and require more effort than accessing same-gender words (gender-congruent) due to language co-activation, even when no access to L1 was required to perform the task. Additionally, we intended to shed some light into the mechanism underlying the gender congruency effect. To these aims, we compared the performance of Spanish native speakers with that of Italian-Spanish bilinguals (Italian native speakers) during a lexical decision task. The participants saw Spanish words that were gender-congruent and gender-incongruent between languages while event related potentials were recorded. Moreover, as an additional manipulation, we selected nouns that in both languages could be ambiguous or unambiguous. With the aim to examine whether the underlying mechanism is activation of multiple information during word processing, we focused on the N400 component, related with the effort to integrate lexical-semantic information: higher N400 amplitudes indicate greater effort. According to our prediction, Italian-Spanish bilinguals produced more errors and evoked larger N400 amplitudes when accessing gender-incongruent than gender-congruent words, while no differences appeared for Spanish native speakers between conditions. These results indicate that gender-incongruent words are harder to integrate compared with gender-congruent words, and that bilinguals automatically activate the grammatical gender of both languages during L2 language comprehension. Nevertheless, the results do not seem to support the assumption of a similar mechanism responsible for the gender congruency and the ambiguity effects. In short, the gender-congruency effect seems to originate due to activation of multiple information at the lexical level which generates difficulties to integrate at the semantic level during word access.

Key words Gender congruency, Bilinguals, Lexical access, ERPs, N400

The effect of second language immersion and musical experiences on second language speech processing and general auditory processing

Cuicui Wang, Deqing Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, China; Zhejiang Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory for Research in Early Development and Childcare, Hangzhou Normal University, China; Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology & Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

Krystal Flemming, Department of Psychology & Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

Yanpei Wang, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

Vesa Putkinen, Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body, and Brain, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Mari Tervaniemi, Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body, and Brain, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Locopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Advanced Innovation Center for Future Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

Jessica Lammert, Department of Psychology & Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

Sha Tao, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

Marc F. Joanisse, Department of Psychology & Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

Abstract  Both second language speech processing and general auditory processing are important for second language learning. It remains unclear, however, how second language immersion and musical experience affect second language speech and general auditory processing. Thus, the present study aimed to examine this research question. Native Chinese speakers with intermediate English proficiency (intermediate English learners), native Chinese speakers with English immersion experience (immersed English learners), native Chinese speakers with professional music training experience for more than 10 years (native Chinese-speaking musicians), and native English speakers completed both speech and general auditory oddball tasks. The results found that compared with intermediate English learners and native Chinese-speaking musicians, both immersed English learners and native English speakers showed significantly larger mismatch negativity (MMN) in the speech oddball task, indicating second language immersion experience could facilitate speech processing. However, for general auditory processing, no significant differences in MMN were found among the groups. In summary, second language immersion experience could benefit second language speech processing but not general auditory processing, suggesting the effect of second language immersion is domain-specific (i.e., speech perception). This study fills the gap in understanding the role of different learning experiences on second language learning.

Key words Speech processing, General auditory processing, Second language learning, Musical experience

Using lexical semantic cues to mitigate interference effects during real-time sentence processing in aphasia

Niloofar Akhavan, School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA; Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego State University/UC San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

Henrike K. Blumenfeld, School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA; Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego State University/UC San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

Lewis Shapiro, School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA; Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego State University/UC San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

Tracy Love, School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA; Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego State University/UC San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

Abstract We examined the auditory sentence processing of neurologically unimpaired listeners and individuals with aphasia on canonical sentence structures in real-time using a visual-world eye-tracking paradigm. The canonical sentence constructions contained multiple noun phrases and an unaccusative verb, the latter of which formed a long-distance dependency link between the unaccusative verb and its single argument (which was base generated in the object position and then displaced to the subject position). To explore the likelihood of similarity-based interference during the real time linking of the verb and the sentence's subject noun, we manipulated the animacy feature of the noun phrases (matched or mismatched). The study's objectives were to examine whether (a) reducing the similarity-based interference by mismatching animacy features would modulate the encoding and retrieval dynamics of noun phrases in real-time; and (b) whether individuals with aphasia would demonstrate on time sensitivity to this lexical-semantic cue. Results revealed a significant effect of this manipulation in individuals both with and without aphasia. In other words, the mismatch in the representational features of the noun phrases increased the distinctiveness of the unaccusative verb's subject target at the time of syntactic retrieval (verb offset) for individuals in both groups. Moreover, individuals with aphasia were shown to be sensitive to the lexical-semantic cue, even though they appeared to process it slower than unimpaired listeners. This study extends to the cue-based retrieval model by providing new insight on the real-time mechanisms underpinning sentence comprehension.

Key words Aphasia, Sentence processing, Lexical activation, Animacy mismatch, Eye-tracking

Functional connectivity during morphosyntactic processing: An fMRI study in balanced Turkish-Persian bilinguals

Simin Meykadeh, Department of Linguistics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran; Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Ali Khadem, Department of Biomedical Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

Simone Sulpizio, Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy

Werner Sommer, Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, JinHua, China

Abstract Previous research has documented the impact of bilingualism on the functional connectivity (FC) of brain networks responsible for processing of two languages during a resting-state brain activity. However, the BOLD signal modulation during task-evoked neural activity remains unclear. To address this question we focused on language-related differences of fMRI-based FC of bilingual brains during morphosyntactic processing in L1 and L2 among balanced L1-Turkish-L2-Persian bilinguals who had learnt L2 at age 7. The task required grammaticality judgements to alternating L1-L2 sentences. In our previous study on the present dataset, we had demonstrated changes in BOLD activation in the Pars opercularis (PO), posterior Superior Temporal Gyrus (pSTG), Planum Temporale (PT), and Supplementary Motor Area (SMA), associated with auditory morphosyntactic processing. In the present reanalysis of these data we focused on FC within and between the language network and the control network. Regions of interest were based on the syntax- and control-specific regions activated by the task. Our findings confirm the FC between the syntax-specific regions PO and pSTG within the language network. The FC between these areas in the processing of morphosyntax turned to be quite similar for L1 and L2, reflecting the high competences of our balanced bilinguals in both languages. In the control network, direct FCs were found in two key areas of the PT and SMA (i.e. left PT to right PT and left PT to left SMA), supporting the view that these areas subserve control operations when bilinguals perceive and process spoken language. Remarkably, inter- and intra-hemispheric connectivities in the control network were indistinguishable for L1 and L2. Regarding intra-network results, although increased FCs were observed in L1 for the left PO-PT neurocircuit and in L2 for the pSTG-PT neurocircuit, none of them significantly interacted with grammaticality. Overall, these results suggest that being balanced bilingual with age of acquisition at 7 years appears to be associated with similarities of FC between syntax processing-related and input- and output-related brain networks. Considering that previous resting state studies had not found evidence for the above-mentioned connections in bilinguals, the present results indicate the importance of task-driven reconfigurations on functional connections between brain networks.

Key words Turkish, Persian, Planum temporale, Balanced bilinguals, Auditory processing, Morphosyntactic processing, Task-state functional connectivity

A systematic review of neuroimaging approaches to mapping language in individuals

Aahana Bajracharya, Department of Radiology, Washington University in Saint Louis, United States

Jonathan E. Peelle, Center for Cognitive and Brain Health, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, United States

Abstract Although researchers often rely on group-level fMRI results to draw conclusions about the neurobiology of language, doing so without accounting for the complexities of individual brains may reduce the validity of our findings. Furthermore, understanding brain organization in individuals is critically important for both basic science and clinical translation. To assess the state of single-subject language localization in the functional neuroimaging literature, we carried out a systematic review of studies published through April 2020. Out of 977 papers identified through our search, 121 met our inclusion criteria for reporting single-subject fMRI results (fMRI studies of language in adults that report task-based single-subject statistics). Of these, 20 papers reported using a single-subject test-retest analysis to assess reliability. Thus, we found that a relatively modest number of papers reporting single-subject results quantified single-subject reliability. These varied substantially in acquisition parameters, task design, and reliability measures, creating significant challenges for making comparisons across studies. Future endeavors to optimize the localization of language networks in individuals will benefit from the standardization and broader reporting of reliability metrics for different tasks and acquisition parameters.

Key words Systematic review, Language, Speech, Reproducibility, fMRI, Neuroimaging, Language mapping

期刊简介

The Journal of Neurolinguistics is an international forum for the integration of the neurosciences and language sciences. JNL provides for rapid publication of novel, peer-reviewed research into the interaction between language, communication and brain processes. The focus is on rigorous studies of an empirical or theoretical nature and which make an original contribution to our knowledge about the involvement of the nervous system in communication and its breakdowns.Contributions from neurology, communication disorders, linguistics, neuropsychology and cognitive science in general are welcome.

《神经语言学》是神经科学和语言科学融合的国际论坛，涉及语言、交流和大脑过程之间相互作用。期刊重点是对经验性或理论性的严格研究，这些研究对我们了解神经系统参与交流及其故障有着独到的贡献。欢迎来搞关于神经学、沟通障碍、语言学、神经心理学和认知科学等领域。

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