Combining computational controls with natural text reveals aspects of meaning composition.

ABSTRACT: To study a core component of human intelligence-our ability to combine the meaning of words-neuroscientists have looked to linguistics. However, linguistic theories are insufficient to account for all brain responses reflecting linguistic composition. In contrast, we adopt a data-driven approach to study the composed meaning of words beyond their individual meaning, which we term 'supra-word meaning'. We construct a computational representation for supra-word meaning and study its brain basis through brain recordings from two complementary imaging modalities. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we reveal that hubs that are thought to process lexical meaning also maintain supra-word meaning, suggesting a common substrate for lexical and combinatorial semantics. Surprisingly, we can

SUBMITTER: Toneva M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9912822 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature