The neurobiological models of language: An updated review.

Abstract

In this article, 3 types of contemporary neurobiological language models are reviewed and compared for the first time. (1) The declarative/procedural model was based on the anatomical lesion studies on semantics and grammar as the respective declarative and procedural memories. This model has not considered the episodic association of words by meanings into various sentences. (2) The electrophysiological N400/P600 studies of language suggest that the change in N400 is usually related to the semantic mistakes while the change in P600 is frequently related to the syntactic/thematic mistakes, generating many related hypotheses. However, none of these relevant hypotheses has considered the differentiation between the syntactic and episodic associations of words. (3) The semantic/syntactic/episodic model recently proposed by Cai extended the declarative/procedural model while integratively suggesting that the episodic association of words by meanings into sentence would moreover require the participation of reticular formations. This model explains the N400/P600 neurophysiological phenomena of language with the reticular dopaminergic/noradrenergic systems. Comparative review of these neurobiological language models would greatly improve their comprehensions, influences, and applications.

The Leap of Mind of Linguistic Humans over Animals

“…The linguistic robots are also able to symbolize or summarize the complex situations, and then to delineate or depict their successions by paragraphs and stories from sentences. Likewise, with the semantic/syntactic/episodic components of language [1] [2], the comprehension and expression of various meanings of words and phrases would make the linguistic robots able to symbolize, abstract, summarize and memorize the various characters and situations. The common procedural syntactic grammar of language [1] [2] makes the linguistic robots easy to share, communicate and understand the language with the same grammar of language among the regional ethnic society, including those from both humans and robots.…”

“…With several or many sentences, there can further form the various paragraphs and stories. It is necessary for the linguistic robots to adopt the episodic coordination to understand the meaning of the whole long sentences [1] [2], and in further the paragraphs and stories from the sentences via categorical classification of subjects [25]. By this way, it is possible for the robots to depict and communicate the complex situations and their successions, as well as to learn the various complex skills and procedures through language.…”

“…In all, with the semantic/syntactic/episodic components of language [1] [2], it is possible for the linguistic robots to acquire the advantages of human brain over animal brain, able to animate and depict the complex situations and processes, and to learn the various complex skills and procedures through language.…”

“…Recently, Cai extended the present declarative/procedural model underlying two kinds of neural components to a new semantic/syntactic/episodic model of three kinds of neural components, able to encompass the sentential meanings to the neural linguistic components [1] [2].…”

“…The animation and depiction of language in artificial intelligence correspond to the comprehension and expression of language in humans respectively. With the new neural linguistic model of three semantic/syntactic/episodic components able to encompass the sentential meanings and install the whole three semantic/syntactic/episodic components into the robots [1] [2], it is possible to make the artificial intelligence and adaptive robots acquire the advantage of linguistic human brain over the animal brain, greatly improving the animation, depiction and communication of complex situations and successions.…”