Neurological Mechanisms of Word Formation: An Empirical Study by Collaboration of Theoretical Linguistics and Neurolinguistics

我们采用了所谓的双重机制模型作为我们的工作假设，即记忆和计算两种不同的心理/神经机制参与了词汇的加工，并进行了ERP（事件相关电位）实验，以探讨在神经水平上的日语复杂谓词的加工。我们的研究结果如下：我们使用词汇使役结构（LC）和句子使役结构（SC）两种使役结构，观察了对不可接受的句子（ULC：^* kansei-o narab-e-ru 'arrange shoes of joy'，USC：^*ryoori-o narab-ase-ru 'make dishes line up'）和可接受的句子（ALC：ryoori-o narab-e-ru 'arrange dishes'，ASC：senshu-o narab-ase-ru 'make players line up'）的ERP反应。ULC句子引出了一个典型的N400，我们解释，以反映语义选择的侵犯。相比之下，USC句子引发AN（前否定），然后是N400。AN可以用来反映检测USC句子的不良形式所涉及的计算过程，而N400则反映了语义违反。此外，当两个可接受的句子类型（ALC和ASC）进行了比较，有人观察到，ASC引起了P600，我们解释，以反映成本的句法计算参与处理的双分句结构的SC句子。因此，我们的研究结果基本上支持了致使结构的双机制研究方法，LC涉及基于记忆的加工，而SC是通过句法计算加工的。为了积累日语语言加工的基本ERP数据，我们进行了另一个实验，探索在格违反中观察到的ERP成分。我们观察到N400违反了词汇指定的动词格数组（^*kodomo-ni shikaru '骂孩子'，^*hito-o butsukaru '打一个人'）。

We have employed the so-called Dual Mechanism Model as our working hypothesis, which claims that two different mental/neurological mechanisms of memory and computation are involved in the processing of words, and conducted an ERP (Event-Related Potentials) experiment to investigate the processing of Japanese complex predicates at the neurological level. Our findings are as follows.We used two types of causative constructions, lexical causative (LC) and sase-causative (SC), and observed the ERP responses to unacceptable sentences (ULC:^*kansei-o narab-e-ru 'arrange shouts of joy', USC:^*ryoori-o narab-ase-ru 'make dishes line up') in comparison to the acceptable counterparts (ALC: ryoori-o narab-e-ru 'arrange dishes', ASC: senshu-o narab-ase-ru 'make players line up'). The ULC sentences elicited a typical N400, which we interpret to reflect the semantic selectional violations. In contrast, the USC sentences elicited an AN (anterior negativity) followed by an N400. The AN can be taken to reflect the computational process involved in detecting the ill-formedness of the USC sentences, while the following N400 is a reflection of the semantic violation. In addition, when the two acceptable sentence types (ALC and ASC) were compared, it was observed that the ASC elicited a P600, which we interpret to reflect the cost of syntactic computation involved in processing the bi-clausal structure of SC sentences. Thus our results basically support the Dual Mechanism approach to causative constructions, LC involving memory-based processing while SC being processed by syntactic computation.We have conducted another experiment, in the hope of accumulating basic ERP data on language processing in Japanese, exploring what ERP components are observed in case violations. We observed N400 for the violation of lexically specified case array of verbs (^*kodomo-ni shikaru 'scold a child', ^*hito-o butsukaru 'hit a person').