ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
163
NEUROLINGUISTICS: LANGUAGE AND THE BRAIN
Toʻxtasinova Charos Ilhomjon qizi
4th grade student of the Faculty of Mother Language and Literature of the
Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language
and Literature named after Alisher Navoi
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13853348
Neurolinguistics is a modern discipline that emerged due to the
development of computer technologies and the convergence of scientific
interests of neurology and linguistics. It is classified as a field of cognitive
science. The focus of the new discipline has shifted from the study of language as
a communication tool to the neurological reactions of the brain during
communication. Here, two important aspects of research should be highlighted:
- the brain's perception of language as a means of communication, that is, the
study of the influence of external factors;
- language as a product of the interaction of various areas of the brain, that
is, internal conditions and factors of communication.
Neurolinguistics studies the work of the brain and its properties during
speech activity, thinking, emotional perception and memory. Thus,
neurolinguistics has established itself as an interdisciplinary science, which is
closest to psycholinguistics. And sometimes they are considered a single science.
Neurolinguistics and psycholinguistics
Neurolinguistics is a new interdisciplinary science, so many scientists
consider it a part of psycholinguistics. For example, according to the
interpretation of linguist Tatyana Chernigovskaya, neurolinguistics is a part of
psycholinguistics, but has a more precise description of the methodology and
subject.
Neurolinguistic research has a more precise subject field of study, since a
laboratory experiment shows which part of the brain is involved during the
experiment. The direct interest of neurolinguistics is aimed at studying three
zones of the left hemisphere responsible for the functioning of speech:
Broca's area (where oral speech control reactions occur);
Wernicke's area (responsible for perception and understanding);
occipital part (where logical and grammatical memorization occurs).
Despite the definition of zones that are responsible for our ability to
communicate, they are developed differently in everyone. A clear example is the
brain of a deaf-mute person - the part of the brain that should be responsible for
the formation and perception of speech has lost its ability, and in its place the
ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
164
property of peripheral vision, which is very well developed in deaf-mute people,
has mutated.
Research stages, methods and problems of neurolinguistics
The interest of neurolinguistic research is aimed at studying the influence
of language on speech mechanisms in the brain (by the way, we recommend
reading the article "Language and Thinking" on this topic). Usually, these
observations have three complementary stages:
Linguistic stage.
Neurophysiological stage.
Psychological stage.
In the process of producing human speech, several zones are involved in the
brain - some perform the main functions, others - auxiliary. Therefore,
neurolinguistic research, in addition to its own special methods, always uses the
methods of related disciplines:
the observation method helps to determine speech disorders, motor skills
of the speech apparatus, memory and imagination;
sodium amytal test - part of the use of X-rays, helps to study the
neurological aspects of the problem;
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) - measures blood flow in the
brain during the performance of various tasks, visualization;
electrical stimulation or electroconvulsive therapy - helps to determine the
area of the brain responsible for a particular reaction;
eye-tracking is used to study the reaction of the eyes during reading;
dichotomous listening – testing the perception of sound vibrations (usually
performed separately on the right and left ears, which physiologically perceive
sound differently);
stereotaxic method – direct penetration into the brain by surgery.
For the reliability of neurolinguistic research, scientists must turn to such
sciences as neurology, psychology, psycholinguistics, neurophysiology,
neuropsychology, speech therapy, neurosurgery, biophysics and biochemistry. A
wide range of brain research methods shows not only the interdisciplinary
status of neurolinguistics, but also states the fact of the long-term formation of
this science into a separate area of knowledge.
Neuropsychological research refers to the study of both speech perception
disorders and the observation of neurolinguistic processes in people without
obvious deviations. This includes:
-
speech pathologies;
ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
165
-
various speech function disorders (aphasia);
-
the effect of meditation on a person's character and changes in their brain;
-
research on oncological diseases of the brain;
-
research on speech encoding in the hemispheres of the brain, which
occurs differently in right-handed and left-handed people;
-
study of the organization and system of language structure in native
speakers;
-
how writing (left to right and right to left) affects language perception and
brain function, the formation of mental space;
-
decoding of language by the brain in children;
-
language functioning in the brain of adults;
-
bilingualism;
-
language acquisition, information processing in the brain;
-
the phenomenon of hallucinations.
The interest of neurolinguistic research is also aimed at an in-depth
understanding of the complexities of grammar, phonetics, speech patterns and
texts in general.
Interesting facts
Discoveries in the field of neurolinguistics prove how little we know about
our existence. Here are some interesting facts:
- All speech mechanisms in the brain occur in the left hemisphere.
Therefore, even with a strong disruption of the right hemisphere, this does not
affect speech activity in any way.
- A newborn child learns to perceive human language during the first three
years of life, first distinguishing it from the general noise that surrounds him.
- Neurolinguistic research proves that language is not only an important
factor in socialization, but also a tool for the formation of neural connections
that are responsible for normal human development.
Thus, the latest important discovery of neurobiology is the plasticity of our
brain, its ability to constantly change, regardless of age. But, at the same time, we
still know very little about the phenomenon of neuroplasticity itself.
How Language Shapes Our Thinking
Psycholinguist and cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky from the University
of California, San Diego specializes in proving how languages shape our thinking.
Using the results of research by ethnologists, cognitive scientists, cultural
scientists, and linguists, she compares different language structures in the lab.
ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
166
She is also a co-author of the theory of linguistic relativity, which proves
that language determines thinking and creates certain cognitive categories,
which in turn shape traditions and various non-linguistic forms of behavior.
Her main thesis is that the world's 7,000 languages create their own sound,
vocabulary, and most importantly, language structure. It is the language
structure that often determines how we describe events, what images arise in
our brains. For example, an English-speaking and a Spanish-speaking witness to
a man breaking a vase will make different accents in accordance with the
grammar rules of their native language. So, it turns out that in English the
emphasis falls on the subject, while in Spanish it falls on the event. That is why,
when describing the same event, people will talk about it differently, make
different accents. Language structures are only one of the aspects that affect the
cognitive abilities of the brain.
In addition to obvious differences in grammar, languages are not as
universal in the tools we learn to use. For example, in English there is not such a
variety of shades of color as in Russian. Some languages do not have numbers.
Or in different languages the gender of concepts will not match, and in English
this is not important at all. But in the language of the Australian aborigines
Tayore (Kuuk Thaayorre) there are no concepts of "right" and "left": local
residents use the four cardinal directions to indicate directions, but the catch is
that each speaker will use them according to their location in space, and their
interlocutor must very quickly comprehend the information in relation to their
own location in space.
The direction of reading from right to left and from left to right has no less
impact on the formation and functioning of our brain. As studies of brain
reactions show, reading affects the formation of different neural connections in
our brain.
Thus, neurolinguistics is a relatively young science, the discoveries of which
depend on technological progress. Despite the many studies conducted over the
past few decades, we still have a very poor understanding of the principles of
brain function. Let's hope that the future will provide us with more information
on this topic.
