Cognitive Neuroscience Perspectives on Language Acquisition and Processing

Dear Colleagues,

For a long time now, work in (psycho)linguistics, psychology, cognitive neuroscience and related fields has studied how humans learn/acquire, mentally represent and process one, two or more language(s). Over the past few decades in particular, relevant empirical evidence from brain imaging methods, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and magnetoencephalography (MEG) has provided key insights to unpack how language is acquired and processed at the neural level. As a result, we now have deeper theories and better insights regarding the potential (neuro)cognitive mechanisms involved and an improved understanding of the neurocognitive consequences of language in the mind/brain. This SI is dedicated to furthering our understanding of the nature of language representation in the brain with a specific focus on acquisition and processing. We welcome submissions exploring the multitude of neural processes underlying the dynamic nature of linguistic representations across development in the acquisition and during real-time processing as language unfolds. Potential themes/topics include but are not limited to the following: (i) linguistic representations and processing in the brain, including how (and why) they may change over time; (ii) brain change, e.g., naturally over the life span as in cognitive aging, by virtue of shifts in relevant experience with language (i.e., attrition at any age) and/or due to genetic or acquired impairments affecting language acquisition/processing at any age; (iii) how neurological predispositions might delimit the nature and trajectory of language acquisition/processing; and (iv) brain evidence that speaks to fundamentally different or similar qualitative processes in language acquisition/processing as a function of age and or (mono-, bi-, multi-)-lingualism. While such questions can be addressed with offline and online behavioral measures such as eye-tracking, we especially welcome papers using methods typically present in the work appearing in Brain Sciences, especially (f)MRI, EEG (ERP and neural oscillations), MEG, etc., however papers with other methods (eye-tracking or other behavioral methods) will be considered provided they have a clear cognitive/brain component. The goal is for this SI to serve as a platform from which a better understanding can be gleaned from the unique contributions of neural methods to questions on language acquisition and processing. 

Prof. Dr. Jason Rothman
Prof. Dr. Vincent DeLuca
Dr. Alicia Luque
Dr. Yanina Prystauka
Dr. Toms Voits
Guest Editors

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