TY - JOUR

T1 - Brain basis of communicative actions in language

AU - Egorova, Natalia

AU - Shtyrov, Yury

AU - Pulvermüller, Friedemann

PY - 2016/1/15

Y1 - 2016/1/15

N2 - Although language is a key tool for communication in social interaction, most studies in the neuroscience of language have focused on language structures such as words and sentences. Here, the neural correlates of speech acts, that is, the actions performed by using language, were investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants were shown videos, in which the same critical utterances were used in different communicative contexts, to Name objects, or to Request them from communication partners. Understanding of critical utterances as Requests was accompanied by activation in bilateral premotor, left inferior frontal and temporo-parietal cortical areas known to support action-related and social interactive knowledge. Naming, however, activated the left angular gyrus implicated in linking information about word forms and related reference objects mentioned in critical utterances. These findings show that understanding of utterances as different communicative actions is reflected in distinct brain activation patterns, and thus suggest different neural substrates for different speech act types.

AB - Although language is a key tool for communication in social interaction, most studies in the neuroscience of language have focused on language structures such as words and sentences. Here, the neural correlates of speech acts, that is, the actions performed by using language, were investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants were shown videos, in which the same critical utterances were used in different communicative contexts, to Name objects, or to Request them from communication partners. Understanding of critical utterances as Requests was accompanied by activation in bilateral premotor, left inferior frontal and temporo-parietal cortical areas known to support action-related and social interactive knowledge. Naming, however, activated the left angular gyrus implicated in linking information about word forms and related reference objects mentioned in critical utterances. These findings show that understanding of utterances as different communicative actions is reflected in distinct brain activation patterns, and thus suggest different neural substrates for different speech act types.

KW - Communicative action

KW - Mirror neuron system

KW - Pragmatics

KW - Social interaction

KW - Theory of mind

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84947093568&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.10.055

DO - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.10.055

M3 - Article

C2 - 26505303

AN - SCOPUS:84947093568

VL - 125

SP - 857

EP - 867

JO - NeuroImage

JF - NeuroImage

SN - 1053-8119

ER -