Dependent mechanism of Chinese prepositions processing in the brain: evidence from event-related potentials.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the event-related potentials (ERPs) waves of verbs and prepositions in the brain.


METHODS
We recorded ERPs in the brain while participants judged the legality of the collocation for verbs and prepositions.


RESULTS
Both verbs and prepositions elicited a negativity at the frontal site in 230-330 ms and 350-500 ms window. No difference was seen in 230-330 ms and 350-500 ms window; In difference waves, a negativity was elicited in the left and right hemisphere at about 270-400 ms and 470-600 ms window for both open and closed-class words.


CONCLUSIONS
These may demonstrate that prepositions in modern Chinese are probably not a separate class from verbs and that N280 may be not a specific component for only prepositions (or closed-class words).
Fang
Huan-Hai
HH
Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Language Sciences and Neuro-cognition Engineering, Xuzhou 221009, China. fhuanhai@163.com
Zhang
Rong-Ping
RP
Fang
Huan-Fei
HF
Gao
Ming-Yang
MY
Zheng
Min
M
Sun
Xiao-Yu
XY
D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011932:Reading