On the origins of grammar: from structural complexity in auditory sequences to syntactic structures

在理论语言学、神经语言学和语言加工认知心理学领域，一个仍然没有解决的问题是，人类处理句法结构的独特能力是如何形成的，从而支撑了语言学院的特殊性。此外，最近对句法的理论和神经认知方面的研究表明，在人类的非语言序列和句法处理中实施的结构规则可能具有功能等价性。当处理序列和句法时，这种共同进化可能驻留在额纹状体大脑系统中，并且仍然依赖于该系统。此外，这个大脑系统标记时间属性的能力可能负责听觉语言处理中预测性时间和顺序线索的同步。然而，剩下的一个谜团是从额纹状体系统的时间和序列能力来理解句法能力的出现，包括递归计算和层级语言结构的处理。目前的项目旨在在这些未决问题上取得重大进展。这将通过建立一个跨学科研究小组来实现，该小组提供了将跨语言和跨物种的实验工作和建模方法结合起来的独特机会。特别是，我们将结合健康参与者、额纹状体中断患者(未用药(早期)和药物治疗(进展期)帕金森病)、计算建模和早期额纹状体功能障碍的创新动物模型的行为、电生理(ERP)和功能磁共振成像(FMRI)实验，以确定人类语法的计算起源。

A still unresolved issue in the fields of theoretical linguistics, neurolinguistics, and cognitive psychology of language processing is how the unique ability to process syntactic structure emerged in humans, underpinning the specificity of Language Faculty (LF). Furthermore, recent research on theoretical and neurocognitive aspects of syntax is currently pointing towards possible functional equivalence of structural rules implemented in non-linguistic sequences and syntactic processing in humans. Such co-evolution may reside in and still rely on a fronto-striatal brain system when processing sequences and syntax. Furthermore, this brain system in its capacity to tag temporal attributes may be responsible for the synchronization of predictive temporal and sequential cues in auditory language processing. However, one remaining mystery is to understand both the emergence of syntactic capabilities, including recursive computation and the processing of hierarchical linguistic structures, from the temporal and sequencing capacities of a frontostriatal system. The current project aims at realizing significant advancement in relation to these open issues. This will be possible by setting up an interdisciplinary research team offering the unique opportunity to combine cross-linguistic and cross-species experimental work and modelling approaches. In particular, we will combine behavioural, electrophysiological (ERP), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments in healthy participants, patients with fronto-striatal disruptions (unmedicated (early) and medicated (in progression) Parkinson’s disease), computational modelling, and an innovative animal model of early fronto-striatal function disruption in order to identify the computational origins of grammar in humans.