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Unit 5: BRAIN, MIND AND LANGUAGE
How do our brains deal with language?
I. The two sides of brain
II. The theories about the brain and language
III. The evolution of language
IV. The autonomy of language

I.
THE TWO SIDES OF BRAIN
1. Background information about brain
The most complicated organ of the body
Lie under the skull
Consist of about 10 billion neurons and billions of fibers

The neurons or grey matter form the cortex


The cortex: the decision-making organ of the body
+ Receive messages from all the sensory organs
+ Initiate all voluntary actions

The brain is divided into two part:
Left hemisphere
Right hemisphere
These are connected by a structure called the corpus callosum
02. The theories about brain and language
There has been a basic assumption that it is possible to find a direct relation between language and the brain
A. Franz Joseph Gall
He put forth theories of localization: different human abilities and behaviors were describable to specific part of the brain
Gall’s theory is amusing when compare with our present knowledge.
Ex: The frontal lobes were the location of language
The articulate and intelligent => protruding eyes
The pseudo-science: phrenology
Establish by Spurzheim – a follower of Gall
The practice of determining personality and others matters by examination the ‘bump’ on the skull
Elaborate maps and skull models show that language is located directly under the eye
Phrenology has been discarded but Gall’s view about the brain is remaining:
The brain is not a uniform mass
Some linguistic capacities are function of localized brain areas
B. Paul Broca
We speak with the left hemisphere
Damage to the front part of the left hemisphere ( called Broca’s area) result in loss of speech
Damage to the right side did not


Language – lateralization:
Term refer to any cognitive function which localized to one side of the brain
Broca’s aphasia
Occur to patients with such damage or lesions in Broca’s area
Term to refer to language disorders caused by brain lesions: a stroke, a tumor, a gunshot wound, or an infection
Broca’ aphasia patients:
hard speech
word-finding pauses
loss of function words
disturbed word order
C. Carl Wernicke
Another variety of aphasia showed by patients with lesions in the back portion of the left hemisphere
Wernicke’s patients:
Lexical errors
Phonological errors.
Difficulty in comprehending speech
Semantic and lexical difficulties
The area of the brain that when damaged now know as Wernicke’s area
II. EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE
Human is the only species that has evolved an advanced system of communicate between individuals.
Thinking of human is more complex than that of other species
Whereas other species communicate through:
Ritualized
Repetitious songs
Calls
Or gestures
CHARLES DARWIN, The decent of man
If the human brain uniquely suited to understand and use of language, how (and when) this development occur?
The evolutionary development of human
The development of language
?
In language ability:
+ Some of those: human and other primates are different in degree.
+ Some of those: the beginning of language ability like a qualitative step.
+ Many of those: language is species - specific.
Scholars past and present have debated about the vocal tract and the ear function
Non-human primates vocal tracts were incapable of producing a large enough inventor of speech sounds.
The languages of our human ancestors:
- simpler than any language known to us today.
The development of vocal tract is the result of a evolutionary step.
Helping the organs to identify and understand the sounds.
But… Why can many birds and parrots imitate human speech?
Therefore, that step is not enough to explain for the achievement and use of language.
The deaf also understand and use language
The brain is neurologically equipped to learn language rather than speech.
III. THE INDEPENDENCE OF LANGUAGE


A major issue is being debated: human language ability is independent of other cognitive systems or derivative of more cognitive ability.

Answer: Language is independent of cognitive system (general intellectual abilities)
Reason 1: According to psychological literature documents: most of savants are handicapped in language ability. They may be good mimics, can repeat speech like parrots but are meager in creative language ability.
Reason 2: Intellectually disabled individuals (idiot savants) in certain spheres will show remarkable talents

New disease: Asperger disorder(ASD) – metal disease and losing ability to learn language
Symptoms:
Not well on communication
Prefer to be lonely
Be obsessed with concerned issues
Hardly express their language in some specific cases
Be excellent in some branches of science
Einstein
Daniel Tammet – the boy with the incredible brain
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