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dc.contributor.authorCalinescu, Lia
dc.contributor.authorRamchand, Gillian C
dc.contributor.authorBaggio, Giosuè
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-01T09:39:46Z
dc.date.available2024-02-01T09:39:46Z
dc.date.issued2023-03-10
dc.description.abstractWhen we use language, we draw on a finite stock of lexical and functional meanings and grammatical structures to assign meanings to expressions of arbitrary complexity. According to the Principle of Compositionality, the meanings of complex expressions are a function of constituent meanings and syntax, and are generated by the recursive application of one or more composition operations. Given their central role in explanatory accounts of human language, it is surprising that relatively little is known about how the brain implements these composition operations in real time. In recent years, neurolinguistics has seen a surge of experiments investigating when and where in the brain meanings are composed. To date, however, neural correlates of composition have not been firmly established. In this article, we focus on studies that set out to find the correlates of linguistic composition. We critically examine the paradigms they employed, laying out the rationale behind each, their strengths and weaknesses. We argue that the still blurry picture of composition in the brain may be partly due to limitations of current experimental designs. We suggest that novel and improved paradigms are needed, and we discuss possible next steps in this direction. At the same time, rethinking the linguistic notion of composition, as based on a tight correspondence between syntax and semantics, might be in order.en_US
dc.identifier.citationCalinescu L, Ramchand GC, Baggio G. How (not) to look for meaning composition in the brain: A reassessment of current experimental paradigms. Frontiers in Language Sciences. 2023;2:1-21en_US
dc.identifier.cristinIDFRIDAID 2131229
dc.identifier.doi10.3389/flang.2023.1096110
dc.identifier.issn2813-4605
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/32806
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherFrontiers Mediaen_US
dc.relation.journalFrontiers in Language Sciences
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccessen_US
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2023 The Author(s)en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0en_US
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)en_US
dc.titleHow (not) to look for meaning composition in the brain: A reassessment of current experimental paradigmsen_US
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.typeTidsskriftartikkelen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US


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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)