Common Neural System for Sentence and Picture Comprehension Across Languages: A Chinese–Japanese Bilingual Study
While common semantic representations for individual words across languages have been identified, a common meaning system at sentence-level has not been determined. In this study, fMRI was used to investigate whether an across-language sentence comprehension system exists. Chinese–Japanese bilingual...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00380/full |
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| author | Zhengfei Hu Huixiang Yang Yuxiang Yang Shuhei Nishida Carol Madden-Lombardi Jocelyne Ventre-Dominey Peter Ford Dominey Kenji Ogawa |
| author_facet | Zhengfei Hu Huixiang Yang Yuxiang Yang Shuhei Nishida Carol Madden-Lombardi Jocelyne Ventre-Dominey Peter Ford Dominey Kenji Ogawa |
| author_sort | Zhengfei Hu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While common semantic representations for individual words across languages have been identified, a common meaning system at sentence-level has not been determined. In this study, fMRI was used to investigate whether an across-language sentence comprehension system exists. Chinese–Japanese bilingual participants (n = 32) were asked to determine whether two consecutive stimuli were related (coherent) or not (incoherent) to the same event. Stimuli were displayed with three different modalities (Chinese written sentences, Japanese written sentences, and pictures). The behavioral results showed no significant difference in accuracy and response times among the three modalities. Multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) of fMRI data was used to classify the semantic relationship (coherent or incoherent) across the stimulus modalities. The classifier was first trained to determine coherency within Chinese sentences and then tested with Japanese sentences, and vice versa. A whole-brain searchlight analysis revealed significant above-chance classification accuracy across Chinese and Japanese sentences in the supramarginal gyrus (BA 40), extending into the angular gyrus (BA 39) as well as the opercular (BA 44) and triangular (BA 45) parts of the inferior frontal gyrus in the left hemisphere (cluster-level FWE corrected p < 0.05). Significant above-chance classification accuracy was also found across Japanese sentences and pictures in the supramarginal (BA 40) and angular gyrus (BA 39). These results indicate that a common meaning system for sentence processing across languages and modalities exists, and it involves the left inferior parietal gyrus. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T22:56:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d277206bf3c44c8aa87c9e1b41b74738 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T22:56:04Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-d277206bf3c44c8aa87c9e1b41b747382022-12-22T00:08:56ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612019-10-011310.3389/fnhum.2019.00380480652Common Neural System for Sentence and Picture Comprehension Across Languages: A Chinese–Japanese Bilingual StudyZhengfei Hu0Huixiang Yang1Yuxiang Yang2Shuhei Nishida3Carol Madden-Lombardi4Jocelyne Ventre-Dominey5Peter Ford Dominey6Kenji Ogawa7Department of Psychology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, JapanDepartment of Psychology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, JapanDepartment of Psychology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, JapanDepartment of Psychology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, JapanINSERM - U1093 Cognition, Action, and Sensorimotor Plasticity, Dijon, FranceINSERM - U1093 Cognition, Action, and Sensorimotor Plasticity, Dijon, FranceINSERM - U1093 Cognition, Action, and Sensorimotor Plasticity, Dijon, FranceDepartment of Psychology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, JapanWhile common semantic representations for individual words across languages have been identified, a common meaning system at sentence-level has not been determined. In this study, fMRI was used to investigate whether an across-language sentence comprehension system exists. Chinese–Japanese bilingual participants (n = 32) were asked to determine whether two consecutive stimuli were related (coherent) or not (incoherent) to the same event. Stimuli were displayed with three different modalities (Chinese written sentences, Japanese written sentences, and pictures). The behavioral results showed no significant difference in accuracy and response times among the three modalities. Multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) of fMRI data was used to classify the semantic relationship (coherent or incoherent) across the stimulus modalities. The classifier was first trained to determine coherency within Chinese sentences and then tested with Japanese sentences, and vice versa. A whole-brain searchlight analysis revealed significant above-chance classification accuracy across Chinese and Japanese sentences in the supramarginal gyrus (BA 40), extending into the angular gyrus (BA 39) as well as the opercular (BA 44) and triangular (BA 45) parts of the inferior frontal gyrus in the left hemisphere (cluster-level FWE corrected p < 0.05). Significant above-chance classification accuracy was also found across Japanese sentences and pictures in the supramarginal (BA 40) and angular gyrus (BA 39). These results indicate that a common meaning system for sentence processing across languages and modalities exists, and it involves the left inferior parietal gyrus.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00380/fullsemantic processingsentence comprehensionbilingualismfMRIMVPA |
| spellingShingle | Zhengfei Hu Huixiang Yang Yuxiang Yang Shuhei Nishida Carol Madden-Lombardi Jocelyne Ventre-Dominey Peter Ford Dominey Kenji Ogawa Common Neural System for Sentence and Picture Comprehension Across Languages: A Chinese–Japanese Bilingual Study Frontiers in Human Neuroscience semantic processing sentence comprehension bilingualism fMRI MVPA |
| title | Common Neural System for Sentence and Picture Comprehension Across Languages: A Chinese–Japanese Bilingual Study |
| title_full | Common Neural System for Sentence and Picture Comprehension Across Languages: A Chinese–Japanese Bilingual Study |
| title_fullStr | Common Neural System for Sentence and Picture Comprehension Across Languages: A Chinese–Japanese Bilingual Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Common Neural System for Sentence and Picture Comprehension Across Languages: A Chinese–Japanese Bilingual Study |
| title_short | Common Neural System for Sentence and Picture Comprehension Across Languages: A Chinese–Japanese Bilingual Study |
| title_sort | common neural system for sentence and picture comprehension across languages a chinese japanese bilingual study |
| topic | semantic processing sentence comprehension bilingualism fMRI MVPA |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00380/full |
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