Processing local transitions versus long-distance syntactic hierarchies.
A recent study by Fitch and Hauser reported that finite-state grammars can be learned by non-human primates, whereas phrase-structure grammars cannot. Humans, by contrast, learn both grammars easily. This species difference is taken as the critical juncture in the evolution of the human language faculty. Given the far-reaching relevance of this conclusion, the question arises as to whether the distinction between these two types of grammars finds its reflection in different neural systems within the human brain.
Friederici
Angela D
AD
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, PO Box 500 355, 04303 Leipzig, Germany. angelafr@cbs.mpg.de <angelafr@cbs.mpg.de>
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology