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Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...

Language

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Language is a unique communication system that uses words and systematic rules to organize and transmit information. Unlike other forms of communication, which may involve postures, movements, odors, or vocalizations, language relies on symbols and grammar. This makes human communication distinct from that of other species, who also communicate but do not use language in the same way humans do.
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Components of Language

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Language Development

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Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

Published on: December 14, 2012

Language development.

¹Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093.

Current Opinion in Neurobiology

|April 1, 1992

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Language acquisition is innate but utilizes general brain systems, not specialized ones. This suggests language learning relies on flexible neural networks supporting various cognitive functions.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Developmental Psychology

Background:

The innate nature of language acquisition is widely accepted.
The neural underpinnings of language learning are debated, with some theories proposing domain-specific language modules.
Recent findings suggest a more integrated neural basis for language development.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether language learning relies on domain-specific neural systems or more general cognitive and perceptual functions.
To explore the plasticity of neural systems involved in language development.
To synthesize evidence from various methodologies to support a unified view of language acquisition.

Main Methods:

Neural network simulations modeling language learning processes.
Event-related brain potential (ERP) studies examining neural activity during language development in typically developing individuals.
Comparative studies of language development in clinical populations, including those with focal brain injury, specific language impairment (SLI), and various forms of intellectual disability.

Main Results:

Neural network models demonstrate that general learning mechanisms can account for language acquisition.
ERP studies reveal neural patterns consistent with the involvement of broadly distributed cognitive systems in language processing.
Studies of clinical populations show that language deficits can co-occur with impairments in other cognitive domains, suggesting shared neural resources.

Conclusions:

Language acquisition is not solely dependent on dedicated, domain-specific neural modules.
The brain utilizes a flexible and plastic network of neural systems for language learning, which also support other cognitive and perceptual functions.
This perspective challenges traditional views and emphasizes the interconnectedness of cognitive abilities in human development.