A syntax–lexicon trade-off in language production
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pnas.2120203119.pdf
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Published version
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1.43 MB
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Author(s)
Rezaii, Neguine
Mahowald, Kyle
Ryskin, Rachel
Dickerson, Bradford
Gibson, Edward
Date Issued
2022
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Citation
Rezaii, Neguine, Mahowald, Kyle, Ryskin, Rachel, Dickerson, Bradford and Gibson, Edward. 2022. "A syntax–lexicon trade-off in language production." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119 (25).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Spoken language production involves selecting and assembling words and syntactic structures to convey one’s message. Here we probe this process by analyzing natural language productions of individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and healthy individuals. Based on prior neuropsychological observations, we hypothesize that patients who have difficulty producing complex syntax might choose semantically richer words to make their meaning clear, whereas patients with lexicosemantic deficits may choose more complex syntax. To evaluate this hypothesis, we first introduce a frequency-based method for characterizing the syntactic complexity of naturally produced utterances. We then show that lexical and syntactic complexity, as measured by their frequencies, are negatively correlated in a large ( n = 79) PPA population. We then show that this syntax–lexicon trade-off is also present in the utterances of healthy speakers ( n = 99) taking part in a picture description task, suggesting that it may be a general property of the process by which humans turn thoughts into speech.
Spoken language production involves selecting and assembling words and syntactic structures to convey one’s message. Here we probe this process by analyzing natural language productions of individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and healthy individuals. Based on prior neuropsychological observations, we hypothesize that patients who have difficulty producing complex syntax might choose semantically richer words to make their meaning clear, whereas patients with lexicosemantic deficits may choose more complex syntax. To evaluate this hypothesis, we first introduce a frequency-based method for characterizing the syntactic complexity of naturally produced utterances. We then show that lexical and syntactic complexity, as measured by their frequencies, are negatively correlated in a large ( n = 79) PPA population. We then show that this syntax–lexicon trade-off is also present in the utterances of healthy speakers ( n = 99) taking part in a picture description task, suggesting that it may be a general property of the process by which humans turn thoughts into speech.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.2120203119
