A new study takes a closer look at how non-native languages like Dutch and English shape the brain’s behind-the-scenes sentence-prediction processes. The study was led by postdoctoral researcher Cas W. Coopmans. It gives nice examples of the deep structural differences between Dutch and English that can affect understanding and how we process.
Verbs love to be at the end of a clause in Dutch, as the saying goes. In English, the verb would almost always come after the subject a lot more closely. This sometimes hard-to-spot distinction can make Dutch difficult for English speakers to learn! To illustrate this point, Coopmans explains that in Dutch the sentence Because I ate a cookie with chocolate would translate to Because I a cookie with chocolate ate. This inversion could baffle anyone used to standard English word order.
To better understand these discrepancies, Coopmans’ research examined three parsing approaches with the structure of the Dutch language. These four strategies were meant to be modeled to show how the brain builds meaning gradually. This line of research uncovered the fact that Dutch speakers use a remarkably predictive model when processing sentences. In this approach, audiences often find themselves trying to hear the end of each statement in their head before it finishes.
This habitual inclination to produce predictions is a wild departure from the language processing you see in English speakers. In the words of Coopmans, “you’re almost certainly far more predictive in your processing” of that sentence. He noticed that Dutch listeners delay interpreting even a constituent until they have heard all the clauses of a sentence. By contrast, English listeners jump into interpretation as soon as they begin hearing words.
Andrea E. Martin, a linguist and the research’s principal investigator. She noted that the neurologically human brain is capable of fitting in really basic differences between grammar and language. Martin’s team found that the brain adjusts its processing approach based on the grammatical rules of the language being spoken. This flexibility is a great breakthrough of cognitive processing.
Coopmans continued, “It’s not that it’s necessarily more effective, it just so happens to be tailored to the language [folks] are digesting. We are very open to working with languages. For example, one language could be ethically treated one way, but that language could be treated differently than others given its specific properties. This remarkable flexibility speaks to the brain’s capacity to customize its processes and shape them based on structures of language.”
Jixing Li, a linguist who helped launch this area of research, corroborates the findings. Li’s own research has demonstrated that when we listen to a sentence in English versus Chinese, entirely different areas of our brain light up. As he writes, the ability to fully capture and interpret these changes in language highlights the necessity of diversifying topics of study within linguistics.
Our study underscores the importance of diversity in linguistic models. To fulfill their potential, we must embrace these languages to better understand how they can shape and mold thought and processing. While researchers are still learning about these differences, they’re finding out in exciting ways. Their aim is to produce greater generalisation models reflecting the grammatical complexities present in all languages.
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