The Functional Architecture of Language

Abstract

Historically, language has always been localized to the left hemisphere of the brain, with studies focusing on linguistic abilities from areas such as Broca's and Wernicke's. Many previous papers describe in detail how these areas function and the possible deficits that occur as a result of damage to these areas, but do little to examine linguistic abilities in other regions. While there are case studies of patients with unusual types of aphasia or having a condition that changes how a linguistic disorder impacts them, they are limited and do little to form their own conclusions. This paper's broader goal is to understand the neurological foundations of language and how the brain supports the neural substrates of language. Specifically, it will discuss how different regions (and networks of regions) support distinct functions that allow for language. It will discuss how functions such as speech production and language understanding are tied to specific regions of the brain beyond the traditional areas cited earlier, and how they are essential to these processes. It will then discuss how brain damage from stroke can alter one or more of these functions, allowing for better understanding of individual functions. It will also cite bilingualism research to demonstrate how multifunctional and versatile the language network is. Altogether, this paper’s goal is to demonstrate the complexity of the language network and refute traditional lateralization theories to articulate how the language network has regions in nearly all parts of the brain, proposing that doctors use this information to improve their diagnosis and patient treatment.