Auditory sentence processing

When a person listens to someone talking the brain is working to process all the information. Phonological information, phonemes (basic unit of human language), syntactic (grammar) and semantic (prior knowledge) information are all processed within less than a second. There are different views on how auditory language is processed. One view, proposes syntax is processed separately before semantic information – this is called serial or syntax – first model. Another view, constraint – satisfaction model, states that all parts of information act together at each segment of language comprehension. Friederici (2002) suggests a neurocognitive model of sentence comprehension. First the grammar is noted, then the meaning of the individual words and formation processes occur with the goal of thematic role assignment, and at last the different types of information are integrated.

Most studies completed on semantic processes use words and not sentence processing. Past studies concluded that semantic processes are controlled by the left temporal region. When strategic or memory aspects are included the frontal cortex is activated. Many parts of the temporal region are activated during sentence processing: the left inferior frontal gyrus, the right superior temporal gyrus, the left middle temporal gyrus, and the left posterior temporal lobe. The left inferior frontal gyrus is also called Broca’s area when connected to language comprehension. This area is responsible for language production, processing musical sequences, the perception of the rhythm of motion, and the imagery of motion.

A sentence can only be processed through a decision that it makes sense, which requires memory resources. The left hemisphere predominately processes syntactic and semantic information. The formation of relationships with syntactic and semantics are activated by the frontal regions. All the areas above must be stimulated to comprehend an auditory sentence.

Reference:

Friederici, A.D. (2002, February). Towards a neural basis of auditory sentence processing. TRENDS in Cognitive Science, 6 No.2, Retrieved February 11, 2007, from http://psy.ucsd.edu/~dswinney/Psy253_pdfs/friederici%202002%20TICS.pdf.