Neuroscience letters
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Neuroscience letters · Dec 2003
Comparative StudyMagnetoencephalography detection of early syntactic processing in humans: comparison between L1 speakers and L2 learners of English.
In previous brain imaging studies of human syntax processing, only phrase structure (grammatical category) violations have been shown to elicit a very early (approximately 140 ms) neural response. This has led to interpretations about the nature of phrase structure encoding in the brain, particularly its relationship to early automatic brain processes. ⋯ A prominent syntactic magnetic field component, peaking at around 150 ms post-onset (labeled 'SF-M150'), was observed in both hemispheres of only the L1 speakers in response to within-phrase violations but not across-phrase violations. The results provide evidence that L1 speakers possess the ability for automated detection of non-phrase-structure violations, particularly within-phrase violations, and that L2 learners may not have sufficient neural representation available for an early automated response to the target violations.