About this Research Topic
Syntax refers both to the structure of sentences and the underlying combinatorial capacity to generate this structure. For some time, neurolinguistic research on syntax was heavily influenced by theoretical linguistic approaches, which characterize in detail the nature of syntactic representations. A rough consensus has been that the primary region supporting syntax is Broca’s area, and that syntactic deficits in aphasia exist primarily due to damage or degeneration of this region, commonly occurring in Broca’s aphasia and nonfluent/agrammatic PPA. With respect to temporal dynamics of syntactic processing, neurophysiological research on syntax focused on specific event-related potentials such as the ELAN and P600, thought to index phrase structure building and syntactic reanalyses.
However, the research landscape has changed substantially in the last several years with new methodologies and theoretical perspectives, and there is little consensus on the neurobiological foundations of syntax or the role of linguistic theory in guiding research. The goal of this Research Topic is to reassess our understanding of syntax and the brain in light of these developments. Specifically, it is designed to address the following set of major questions:
1. What is the spatiotemporal architecture of syntax in the brain? Specifically, which brain regions support syntax, what are the temporal dynamics and oscillatory properties of syntactic processing, and is syntactic processing separable from lexical and semantic processing?
2. What is the nature of syntactic deficits in aphasia? Specifically, what kinds of syntactic production and comprehension deficits exist in aphasia, what are the lesion correlates of these deficits, and do we have the right measures to assess syntax?
3. What is the role and impact of linguistic theory on the study of syntax and the brain? Specifically, can theoretical syntax effectively guide neuroscience research, what linking theories are necessary to facilitate this, and is it better to focus on alternative approaches?
We invite submissions on syntax broadly construed (including e.g. morphosyntax, compositionality), bearing on the questions detailed above. We welcome contributions that address these topics in healthy and brain-damaged individuals, acquisition/development, and monolingual and multilingual individuals. All manner of theoretical perspectives are welcome, including generative grammar, usage-based approaches, and machine learning. This includes original research using neuroimaging and neurophysiological methods with in any population, or behavioral measures in neurologically impaired populations, reviews, hypothesis and theory articles, articles on advances in methodology, and commentaries.
However, the research landscape has changed substantially in the last several years with new methodologies and theoretical perspectives, and there is little consensus on the neurobiological foundations of syntax or the role of linguistic theory in guiding research. The goal of this Research Topic is to reassess our understanding of syntax and the brain in light of these developments. Specifically, it is designed to address the following set of major questions:
1. What is the spatiotemporal architecture of syntax in the brain? Specifically, which brain regions support syntax, what are the temporal dynamics and oscillatory properties of syntactic processing, and is syntactic processing separable from lexical and semantic processing?
2. What is the nature of syntactic deficits in aphasia? Specifically, what kinds of syntactic production and comprehension deficits exist in aphasia, what are the lesion correlates of these deficits, and do we have the right measures to assess syntax?
3. What is the role and impact of linguistic theory on the study of syntax and the brain? Specifically, can theoretical syntax effectively guide neuroscience research, what linking theories are necessary to facilitate this, and is it better to focus on alternative approaches?
We invite submissions on syntax broadly construed (including e.g. morphosyntax, compositionality), bearing on the questions detailed above. We welcome contributions that address these topics in healthy and brain-damaged individuals, acquisition/development, and monolingual and multilingual individuals. All manner of theoretical perspectives are welcome, including generative grammar, usage-based approaches, and machine learning. This includes original research using neuroimaging and neurophysiological methods with in any population, or behavioral measures in neurologically impaired populations, reviews, hypothesis and theory articles, articles on advances in methodology, and commentaries.
Keywords: syntax, hierarchical structure, morphosyntax, compositionality, sentence processing, brain, neuroimaging, fMRI, EEG, MEG, ECoG, aphasia, lesion-symptom mapping
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
