The exploration of languages has always been a part of the human exploration of the objective world. Neurolinguistics, as an important branch at the forefront in linguistics, can currently be said to represent linguistics in its contemporary form, as it moves between linguistics, neurosciences, psychology, cognitive science and other disciplines, and involves multidisciplinary studies on the neural mechanism of language and brain functions.

“The most significant features of neurolinguistics are its methodology and its research paradigm, in which true academic innovation has been achieved” explains Yang Yiming, a Chang Jiang Scholar appointed by the Ministry of Education and Director of The Collaborative Innovation Center for Language Ability of Jiangsu Normal University.

Traditional linguistic research conducted mainly through theoretical reflection

Linguistics in the modern sense can be said to have begun in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the Swiss Ferdinand de Saussure created structural linguistics. At the time people began to take the exploration of language itself as the goal of linguistics, and the discipline entered its modern stage. The 1950s saw the release of American linguist Noam Chomsky’s book Syntactic Structure, which gave rise to transformational-generative linguistics, which later went through four stages of development.

Saussure and Chomsky’s work had the merit of leading to a scientific study of languages. Their research method of pure theoretical reflection is however unsatisfactory for the study of the ability to learn languages. As Yang explains, “if we take transformational-generative grammar, it is uncertain whether we can really find humanity’s universal ability for grammar, the universal grammar which is supposed to be located in people’s minds”. Chomsky himself soon recognized this and once claimed that neurolinguistics, since its appearance, had become the core issue of linguistics in general.

Neurolinguistic research focuses on the physiological basis of languages - the brain. Professor Liang Dandan, from Nanjing Normal University, suggests that neurolinguistics explores the neural basis of human language acquisition and language production, on whose basis it interprets and verifies theoretical perspectives on linguistics, promotes the construction of linguistic theory, and eventually establishes a linguistic theory in line with human neurocognitive characteristics.

“In terms of research methods, neurolinguistics switches from traditional speculative research to empirical research. Linguistics thus enters the laboratory,” says Yu Guangwu, vice president of Jiangsu Normal University.

Theoretical assumptions and empirical research offering mutual proof

The rise of neurolinguistics has its theoretical basis in linguistics,but its technological basis can be found in the progress of the neurosciences. Yu explains that in 1861, French physician Broca identified the presence of a “Broca's area” in charge of language output in the human brain while engaged in the study of aphasia; in 1874, German neurologist Carl Wernicke identified the “Wernicke's area” in charge of language comprehension (in 2012, U.S. scientists modified its location); in the mid-20th century, psychologists Alexander Romanovich Luria conducted a detailed classification of aphasia taking as his research object soldiers suffering from aphasia because of brain injuries incurred during World War II, and published Neurolinguistics.

“The great majority of early achievements in neurolinguistics originated in doctors’ laboratories, demonstrating its clear multidisciplinary nature.” Yu claims that in the past two or three decades of rapid development, neurolinguistics has led traditional linguistics towards scientific laboratories for interdisciplinary empirical research, a profound innovation for the entire discipline.

One substantially innovative aspect is the shift in research methodology and paradigm away from purely theoretical inquiry. Yang says that neurolinguistics advocates a research method characterized by mutual argumentation between linguistic theoretical hypotheses and neurolinguistic empirical research. “From the perspective of the experimental sciences, linguistic theories are still just hypotheses; whether they are consistent with the actual situation in the human brain is yet to be verified by neuroscience and brain science”. As for its research paradigm, experimental studies are utilized in neurolinguistics, and results, conclusions, proposed models and discussions are based on experimental data. In principle, all the data can be obtained by repeating the experiment. Such experimental studies range from clinical experimental studies on patients with aphasia to experimental research on ordinary people through the high-tech means of event-related potentials (ERP) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI).

Interdisciplinary efforts promote linguistic research and scientific and technological innovation

“Contemporary science is moving towards a comprehensive and integrated trend of macroscopic, interdisciplinary and complex research. Neurolinguistics both follows and leads this trend” Yang claims that neurolinguistics is at the forefront of contemporary academic research, making significant contributions to linguistic research and scientific and technological innovation.

Issues in neurolinguistics cannot be solved solely by applying theoretical linguistics, psychological sciences, cognitive sciences, or life sciences. Rather they must be addressed from an interdisciplinary and cooperative angle through cross-disciplinary innovations. This kind of study employs both the speculative method of traditional linguistic theories but also maximizes the use of the latest technology. Neurolinguistics has become the intrinsic motivation for the development of linguistics and brain science. It is also of significance for the deepening research on brain science and the cognitive sciences.

The achievements of neurolinguistics are deepening, and leading contemporary scientific research. Yang suggests that research into neurolinguistics can help verify and modify linguistic hypotheses, thus improving upon linguistic theories; in the neurosciences, neurolinguistic research sheds light on the relationship between the brain and language, promoting and leading in the development of related disciplines; in contemporary sciences, neurolinguistics attracts top linguists from different schools and scientists from a variety of disciplines, leading to an innovative allocation of human and academic resources.

“In a sense, it could even be said that neurolinguistic studies have a remarkable impact on studies of human thought and on cultural paradigms”, Yang said.

When it comes to the future development of this discipline, Yang and Yu both agree that in addition to environmental, institutional, systemic and funding factors, the training of professional personnel and the construction of interdisciplinary research teams is of great importance. Liang Dandan says that we must focus on building a team with outstanding cooperative and innovative capabilities.

The Chinese version appeared in Chinese Social Sciences Today, No. 587, April 23, 2014.

The Chinese link: http://www.csstoday.net/xueshuzixun/guoneixinwen/89196.html

Translated by Du Mei

　　Revised by Gabriele Corsetti