What is it about?
We offer an explanation of how reference in language is understood as part of a broader theory of language understanding. What emerges is a general picture of how the brain anticipates upcoming linguistic input to facilitate retrieval of semantic information from long-term memory, and how this information is integrated into an understanding of utterance meaning.
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Why is it important?
Referring expressions such as pronouns, proper names and definite noun phrases are extremely prevalent in language, as evidenced by Virginia Woolf's famous opening line "Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself." Understanding how these expressions obtain their context-dependent meaning critically informs explanations of how meaning is attributed to language in the brain.
Perspectives
Coming from a background in both formal semantic theory and psycholinguistics, writing this article offered me the opportunity to combine these disciplines in addressing fundamental questions about language in the brain.
Noortje Venhuizen
Tilburg University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Referential retrieval and integration in language comprehension: An electrophysiological perspective., Psychological Review, February 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/rev0000530.
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