Emergence of grammatical constructions: evidence from simulation and grounded agent experiments
This research takes grammatical constructions (sentence form-to-meaning mappings) as an alternative to abstract generative grammars in the context of understanding the emergence of language. A model of sentence processing based on this construction grammar approach is presented, and
then a series of neuropsychological and neurophysiological studies are reviewed that attempt to validate the model and to establish its neurophysiological underpinnings. The resulting model is demonstrated to provide insight into a developmental and evolutionary passage from unitary idiom-like
holophrases to progressively more abstract grammatical constructions. The model is then functionally validated by its insertion into a perceptually grounded system that allows spoken language interaction with a human interlocutor. The potential utility of this emergence approach in understanding
language is discussed.
Keywords: Grammatical construction; Language; Neural network; Sensorimotor sequence
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5015, 67, Boulevard Pinel, 69675, BRON Cedex, France
Publication date: 01 September 2005
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