Language and the brain Introduction to Linguistics

Language + brain =

The brain http://www.g2conline.org/2022

Physical features of the brain

Language centers

Language centers

Producing a spoken word

Hearing a word

Reading a word

How the brain works

• The brain is composed of neurons.– Neurons are the basic units of information

processing in the nervous system.– There are about 10 billion interconnected

neurons.

LATERALIZATION OF BRAIN HEMISPHERES

Contralateral

Split brain experiments

• The two hemispheres of the brain is connected by corpus callosum.

• The function of corpus callosum– To commute the info between the two sides of the

brain.

What would happen if corpus callosum is cut? • Play the split brain experiments game

at http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/split-brain/index.html

Aphasia

Aphasia

• A language disorder produced by brain damage

• Major types – Broca’s aphasia– Wernike’s aphasia

Broca’s aphasia (Expressive aphasia)• Symptoms

– Unable to express themselves by more than a single word at a time

– Content words are ok; function words are not

– “Yes... ah... Monday... er... Dad and Peter H... and Dad.... er... hospital... and ah... Wednesday... Wednesday, nine o'clock... and oh... Thursday... ten o'clock, ah doctors... two... an' doctors... and er... teeth... yah’”

• Damaged area– The front regions of the left hemisphere

Wernike’s aphasia

• Symptoms – Fluent speech with no informational value– Comprehension is impaired.

• “I called my mother on the television and did not understand the door. It was too breakfast, but they came from far to near. My mother is not too old for me to be young.”

• Damaged area– Temporal lobe of the left hemisphere

Broca vs. Wernicke

• Broca’s aphasia– Prevents a person

from producing speech

– Person can understand language

– Words are not properly formed

– Speech is slow and slurred.

• Wernicke’s aphasia– Loss of the ability to

understand language– Person can speak

clearly but the words that are put together make no sense.

Conduction aphasia

• No connection between Broca’s area and Wernike’s area

• Symptoms– Be able to understand and produce speech, but

cannot repeat what they have just heard.

Dyslexia

• Dyslexia – The impairment of reading ability

• Symptoms • Problems with spelling• Reading difficulties • Difficulties in recognizing individual sounds in

words• Difficulties in naming things.• Problems organizing in the right order

Brain plasticity

• The ability of the brain to reorganize the neural pathways based on new experiences.– The environment plays an important role.

• The implications on learning?

QUESTIONS?