Language processing is not a race against time
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Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks
Published on: September 5, 2019
Giosuè Baggio1, Carmelo M Vicario2
1Language Acquisition and Language Processing Lab, Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway. giosue.baggio@ntnu.no http://www.ntnu.edu/employees/giosue.baggio
Abstract:
We agree with Christiansen & Chater (C&C) that language processing and acquisition are tightly constrained by the limits of sensory and memory systems. However, the human brain supports a range of cognitive functions that mitigate the effects of information processing bottlenecks. The language system is partly organised around these moderating factors, not just around restrictions on storage and computation.
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