Full Description
The Neuroscience of Language offers a remarkably accessible introduction to language in the mind and brain. Following the chain of communication from speaker to listener, it covers all fundamental concepts from speech production to auditory processing, speech sounds, word meaning, and sentence processing. The key methods of cognitive neuroscience are covered, as well as clinical evidence from neuropsychological patients and multimodal aspects of language including visual speech, gesture, and sign language. Over 80, full color figures are included to help communicate key concepts. The main text focuses on big-picture themes, while detailed studies and related anecdotes are presented in footnotes to provide interested students with many opportunities to dive deeper into specific topics. Throughout, language is placed within the larger context of the brain, illustrating the fascinating connections of language with other fields including cognitive science, linguistics, psychology, and speech and hearing science.
Contents
Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction: transferring ideas from one brain to another; 2. Methods of cognitive neuroscience; 3. A structural foundation: anatomical considerations and primary brain regions; 4. Speech production: the beginning of the speech chain; 5. Auditory processing: getting sound from the ear to the brain; 6. Speech sounds: phonemes and word forms; 7. Word meanings and concept representations; 8. Combining meaning across words; 9. Additional forms of language communication; 10. Language as a whole-brain enterprise.
