scholarly journals Effects of semantic plausibility, syntactic complexity and n-gram frequency on children's sentence repetition

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Kamila POLIŠENSKÁ ◽  
Shula CHIAT ◽  
Jakub SZEWCZYK ◽  
Katherine E. TWOMEY
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Sentence Repetition ◽  
N Gram ◽  
Semantic Plausibility ◽  
Post Hoc

Abstract Theories of language processing differ with respect to the role of abstract syntax and semantics vs surface-level lexical co-occurrence (n-gram) frequency. The contribution of each of these factors has been demonstrated in previous studies of children and adults, but none have investigated them jointly. This study evaluated the role of all three factors in a sentence repetition task performed by children aged 4–7 and 11–12 years. It was found that semantic plausibility benefitted performance in both age groups; syntactic complexity disadvantaged the younger group but benefitted the older group; while contrary to previous findings, n-gram frequency did not facilitate, and in a post-hoc analysis even hampered, performance. This new evidence suggests that n-gram frequency effects might be restricted to the highly constrained and frequent n-grams used in previous investigations, and that semantics and morphosyntax play a more powerful role than n-gram frequency, supporting the role of abstract linguistic knowledge in children's sentence processing.

Prediction and integration in native and second-language processing of elliptical structures

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
EDITH KAAN ◽  
JOSEPH KIRKHAM ◽  
FRANK WIJNEN
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Syntactic Analysis ◽  
Second Language Processing ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Frontal Negativity ◽  
Related Potentials

According to recent views of L2-sentence processing, L2-speakers do not predict upcoming information to the same extent as do native speakers. To investigate L2-speakers’ predictive use and integration of syntactic information across clauses, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) from advanced L2-learners and native speakers while they read sentences in which the syntactic context did or did not allow noun-ellipsis (Lau, E., Stroud, C., Plesch, S., & Phillips, C. (2006). The role of structural prediction in rapid syntactic analysis. Brain and Language, 98, 74–88.) Both native and L2-speakers were sensitive to the context when integrating words after the potential ellipsis-site. However, native, but not L2-speakers, anticipated the ellipsis, as suggested by an ERP difference between elliptical and non-elliptical contexts preceding the potential ellipsis-site. In addition, L2-learners displayed a late frontal negativity for ungrammaticalities, suggesting differences in repair strategies or resources compared with native speakers.

Neural Systems for Sentence Processing in Stuttering

2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 814-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Weber-Fox
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Linguistic Processing ◽  
Brain Organization ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
Closed Class ◽  
Functional Brain Organization ◽  
Open Class

The role of neurolinguistic factors in stuttering was investigated by determining whether individuals who stutter display atypical neural functions for language processing, even with no speech production demands. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were obtained while 9 individuals who stutter (IWS) and 9 normally fluent speakers (NS) read sentences silently. The ERPs were elicited by: (a) closed-class words that provide structural or grammatical information, (b) open-class words that convey referential meaning, and (c) semantic anomalies (violations in semantic expectation). In standardized tests, adult IWS displayed similar grammatical and lexical abilities in both comprehension and production tasks compared to their matched, normally fluent peers. Yet the ERPs elicited in IWS for linguistic processing tasks revealed differences in functional brain organization. The ERPs elicited in IWS were characterized by reduced negative amplitudes for closed-class words (N280), open-class words (N350), and semantic anomalies (N400) in a temporal window of approximately 200–450 ms after word onsets. The overall pattern of results indicates that alterations in processing for IWS are related to neural functions that are common to word classes and perhaps involve shared, underlying processes for lexical access.

Alternative Ways for Knowledge Collection, Indexing and Robust Language Retrieval

1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (04/05) ◽  
pp. 315-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Lovis ◽  
A.-M. Rassinoux ◽  
J.-R. Scherrer ◽  
R. H. Baud
Keyword(s):  
Natural Language Processing ◽  
Knowledge Representation ◽  
Natural Language ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Recent Experience ◽  
Medical Texts ◽  
Natural Components

AbstractDefinitions are provided of the key entities in knowledge representation for Natural Language Processing (NLP). Starting from the words, which are the natural components of any sentence, both the role of expressions and the decomposition of words into their parts are emphasized. This leads to the notion of concepts, which are either primitive or composite depending on the model where they are created. The problem of finding the most adequate degree of granularity for a concept is studied. From this reflection on basic Natural Language Processing components, four categories of linguistic knowledge are recognized, that are considered to be the building blocks of a Medical Linguistic Knowledge Base (MLKB). Following on the tracks of a recent experience in building a natural language-based patient encoding browser, a robust method for conceptual indexing and query of medical texts is presented with particular attention to the scheme of knowledge representation.

Construct operationalization, L1 effects, and context in second language processing

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 694-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALAN JUFFS
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
First Language ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Second Language Processing

Cunnings (2016) provides welcome insights into differences between native speaker (NS) sentence processing, adult non-native speaker processing (NNS), and working memory capacity (WMC) limitations. This commentary briefly raises three issues: construct operationalization; the role of first language (L1); and context.

scholarly journals Supramodal Sentence Processing in the Human Brain: Fmri Evidence for the Influence of Syntactic Complexity in More Than 200 Participants

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Uddén ◽  
Annika Hultén ◽  
Jan-Mathijs Schoffelen ◽  
Nietzsche Lam ◽  
Karin Harbusch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Input Modality ◽  
Middle Temporal ◽  
Left Posterior ◽  
Brain Fmri

ABSTRACTThis study investigated two questions. One is to which degree sentence processing beyond single words is independent of the input modality (speech vs. reading). The second question is which parts of the network recruited by both modalities is sensitive to syntactic complexity. These questions were investigated by having more than 200 participants read or listen to well-formed sentences or series of unconnected words. A largely left-hemisphere fronto-temporoparietal network was found to be supramodal in nature, i.e. independent of input modality. In addition, the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and the left posterior middle temporal gyrus (LpMTG) were most clearly associated with left-branching complexity. The left anterior middle temporal gyrus (LaMTG) showed the greatest sensitivity to sentences that differed in right-branching complexity. Moreover, activity in LIFG and LpMTG increased from sentence onset to end, in parallel with an increase of the left-branching complexity. While LIFG, bilateral anterior and posterior MTG and left inferior parietal lobe (LIPL) all contribute to the supramodal unification processes, the results suggest that these regions differ in their respective contributions to syntactic complexity related processing. The consequences of these findings for neurobiological models of language processing are discussed.

scholarly journals Revue des recherches sur l’anxiété langagière relative aux compétences linguistiques et aux étapes du traitement de la langue

1970 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-73
Author(s):  
SYLWIA ŁUSZCZYŃSKA
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Learning Deficits ◽  
Input Processing ◽  
Anxiety Measurement ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
The Relationship

This article presents the findings of selected empirical research on language anxiety, conducted in various countries and among age groups at diverse proficiency levels, applying different research designs and anxiety measurement instruments. First of all, the role of some language skills in anxiety production is presented. The studies summarized below focus on listening, reading and writing in order to more specifically classify the causes of language anxiety. Then, a discussion of the relationship between anxiety during the three stages of language processing (i.e. input, processing, output) and its relationship to learning deficits is presented.

scholarly journals A Task-Based Evaluation of French Morphological Resources and Tools

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Delphine Bernhard ◽  
Bruno Cartoni ◽  
Delphine Tribout
Keyword(s):  
Natural Language Processing ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Question Answering ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Morphological Knowledge ◽  
Application Performance ◽  
Language Technology ◽  
Technology Applications ◽  
Morphological Processes

Morphology is a key component for many Language Technology applications. However, morphological relations, especially those relying on the derivation and compounding processes, are often addressed in a superficial manner. In this article, we focus on assessing the relevance of deep and motivated morphological knowledge in Natural Language Processing applications. We first describe an annotation experiment whose goal is to evaluate the role of morphology for one task, namely Question Answering (QA). We then highlight the kind of linguistic knowledge that is necessary for this particular task and propose a qualitative analysis of morphological phenomena in order to identify the morphological processes that are most relevant. Based on this study, we perform an intrinsic evaluation of existing tools and resources for French morphology, in order to quantify their coverage. Our conclusions provide helpful insights for using and building appropriate morphological resources and tools that could have a significant impact on the application performance.

What the Networks Tell us about Serial and Parallel Processing

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Tremblay ◽  
Elissa Asp ◽  
Anne Johnson ◽  
Malgorzata Zarzycka Migdal ◽  
Tim Bardouille ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Review Literature ◽  
Picture Description ◽  
N Gram ◽  
Complex Words

A large literature documenting facilitative effects for high frequency complex words and phrases has led to proposals that high frequency phrases may be stored in memory rather than constructed on-line from their component parts (similarly to high frequency complex words). To investigate this, we explored language processing during a novel picture description task. Using the magneto-encephalographam (MEG) technique and generalised additive mixed-effects modelling, we characterised the effects of the frequency of use of single words as well as two-, three-, and four-word sequences (N-grams) on brain activity during the pre-production stage of unconstrained overt picture description. We expected amplitude responses to be modulated by N-gram frequency such that if N-grams were stored we would see a corresponding reduction or flattening in amplitudes as frequency increased. We found that while amplitude responses to increasing N-gram frequencies corresponded with our expectations about facilitation, the effect appeared at low frequency ranges and for single words only in the phonological network. We additionally found that high frequency N-grams elicited activity increases in some networks, which may be signs of competition or combination depending on the network. Moreover, this effect was not reliable for single word frequencies. These amplitude responses do not clearly support storage for high frequency multi-word sequences. To probe these unexpected results, we turned our attention to network topographies and the timing. We found that, with the exception of an initial ‘sentence’ network, all the networks aggregated peaks from more than one domain (e.g. semantics and phonology). Moreover, although activity moved serially from anterior ventral networks to dorsal posterior networks during processing, as expected in combinatorial accounts, sentence processing and semantic networks ran largely in parallel. Thus, network topographies and timing may account for (some) facilitative effects associated with frequency. We review literature relevant to the network topographies and timing and briefly discuss our results in relation to current processing and theoretical models.

scholarly journals Pace Yourself: Intraindividual Variability in Context Use Revealed by Self-paced Event-related Brain Potentials

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 837-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brennan R. Payne ◽  
Kara D. Federmeier
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Intraindividual Variability ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Context Processing ◽  
Direct Role ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
Control Functions

Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) have revealed multiple mechanisms by which contextual constraints impact language processing. At the same time, little work has examined the trial-to-trial dynamics of context use in the brain. In the current study, we probed intraindividual variability in behavioral and neural indices of context processing during reading. In a concurrent self-paced reading and ERP paradigm, participants read sentences that were either strongly or weakly constraining completed with an expected or unexpected target word. Our findings revealed substantial within-subject variability in behavioral and neural responses to contextual constraints. First, context-based amplitude reductions of the N400, a component linked to semantic memory access, were largest among trials eliciting the slowest RTs. Second, the RT distribution of unexpected words in strongly constraining contexts was positively skewed, reflecting an increased proportion of very slow RTs to trials that violated semantic predictions. Among those prediction-violating trials eliciting faster RTs, a late sustained anterior positivity was observed. However, among trials producing the differentially slowed RTs to prediction violations, we observed a markedly earlier effect of constraint in the form of an anterior N2, a component linked to conflict resolution and the cognitive control of behavior. The current study provides the first neurophysiological evidence for the direct role of cognitive control functions in the volitional control of reading. Collectively, our findings suggest that context use varies substantially within individual participants and that coregistering behavioral and neural indices of online sentence processing offers a window into these single-item dynamics.

scholarly journals The Role of Age on Beta-Amyloid1–42 Plasma Levels in Healthy Subjects

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Zecca ◽  
Giuseppe Pasculli ◽  
Rosanna Tortelli ◽  
Maria Teresa Dell’Abate ◽  
Rosa Capozzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Levels ◽  
Hematological Parameters ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Amyloid Aβ ◽  
Neurologically Normal ◽  
Post Hoc

Beta-amyloid (Aβ) plaques have been observed in the brain of healthy elderlies with frequencies strongly influenced by age. The aim of the study is to evaluate the role of age and other biochemical and hematological parameters on Aβ1–42 plasma levels in cognitively and neurologically normal individuals. Two-hundred and seventy-five normal subjects stratified by age groups (<35 years, 35–65 years, and >65 years) were included in the study. Aβ1–42 plasma levels significantly correlated with age (rs = 0.27; p < 0.0001) in the whole sample, inversely correlated with age in the first age group (rs = −0.25, p = 0.01), positively correlated in the second group (rs = 0.22, p = 0.03), while there was no significant correlation in the older group (rs = 0.02, p = 0.86). Both age (β-estimate = 0.08; p < 0.001) and cholesterol (β-estimate = 0.03; p = 0.009) were significantly associated with Aβ1–42 plasma level in multivariable analysis. However, only the association with age survived post hoc adjustment for multiple comparisons. The different effects of age on the Aβ level across age groups should be explored in further studies to better understand the age-dependent variability. This could better define the value of plasma Aβ as a biomarker of the Alzheimer neuropathology.

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