Constructed languages are processed by the same brain mechanisms as natural languages

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 122; no. 12; p. e2313473122
• Main Authors: Malik-Moraleda, Saima, Taliaferro, Maya, Shannon, Steve, Jhingan, Niharika, Swords, Sara, Peterson, David J., Frommer, Paul, Okrand, Marc, Sams, Jessie, Cardwell, Ramsey, Freeman, Cassie, Fedorenko, Evelina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 25.03.2025
• Subjects: Adult; Brain; Brain - physiology; Brain Mapping; Comprehension - physiology; Domains; Female; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Humans; Language; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Programming languages; Young Adult; language evolution; neurobiology of language; constructed languages

What constitutes a language? Natural languages share features with other domains: from math, to music, to gesture. However, the brain mechanisms that process linguistic input are highly specialized, showing little response to diverse nonlinguistic tasks. Here, we examine constructed languages (conla...