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Hurford, J. (2003) The Neural Basis of Predicate-Argument Structure. Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
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Paper at a Glance 

The Neural Basis of
Predicate­Argument Structure
James R Hurford,
Language Evolution and Computation Research Unit,
Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics,
University of Edinburgh.
Email: jim@ling.ed.ac.uk URL: http://www.ling.ed.ac.uk/~jim/

Keywords: logic, predicate, argument, neural, object, dorsal, ventral, attention, deictic, reference.
1 Introduction This article presents a step in the establishment of the following hypothesis: Hypothesis: Basic elements in the structure of modern natural languages are derived (phyloge­ netically and ontogenetically) from primitive (prelinguistic) mental representations. This idea is common enough 1 , but cannot be taken further without (a) a characterization of `primitive mental representation' independent of language itself, to avoid circularity, and (b) a plausible bridge between such representation and the structure of language. To fulfil this second condition, the strategy here is to assume that a basic element of first order predicate logic notation, PREDICATE(x), suitably embedded, can be systematically related to natural language structures, in the ways pursued by recent generations of formal semanticists of natural language 2 . Fulfilling the other condition, establishing the language­independent validity of PREDICATE(x) as representing fundamental mental processes in both humans and non­human primates, will occupy the meat of this article. The article is original only in bringing together the fruits of others' labours. Neurolo­ gists and psychologists will be familiar with much of the empirical research cited here, but I hope they will be interested in my claims for its wider significance. Linguists, philosophers and logicians might be excited to discover a new light cast on their subject by recent neurological research. 1.1 Why start from a logical notation? Descriptions of the structure of languages are couched in symbolic terms. Although it is certain that a human's knowledge of his/her language is ...
BibTex
@article{hurford01theNeural,
  author={J. Hurford},
  title={The Neural Basis of Predicate-Argument Structure},
  journal={Behavioral and Brain Sciences},
  year={2003},
  note={HTML version is a more reliable source (more recent) than a postscript version.},
  url={http://www.isrl.uiuc.edu/~amag/langev/paper/hurford01theNeural.html}
}

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