Vol. 26:2/3 (2019) ► pp.357–385
Now, never, or coming soon?
Prediction and efficient language processing
The general principles of perceptuo-motor processing and memory give rise to the Now-or-Never bottleneck constraint imposed on the organization of the language processing system. In particular, the Now-or-Never bottleneck demands an appropriate structure of linguistic input and rapid incorporation of both linguistic and multisensory contextual information in a progressive, integrative manner. I argue that the emerging predictive processing framework is well suited for the task of providing a comprehensive account of language processing under the Now-or-Never constraint. Moreover, this framework presents a stronger alternative to the Chunk-and-Pass account proposed by Christiansen and Chater (2016), as it better accommodates the available evidence concerning the role of context (in both the narrow and wider senses) in language comprehension at various levels of linguistic representation. Furthermore, the predictive processing approach allows for treating language as a special case of domain-general processing strategies, suggesting deep parallels with other cognitive processes such as vision.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The Now-or-Never bottleneck
- 2.1Consequences 1 & 3: Multilevel organization of language and incrementality of language processing
- 2.2Consequences 2 & 4: Prediction, locality, and language modularity
- 2.3Not all mistakes are corrected
- 2.4Requirements for an account of language processing: A quick summary
- 3.Predictive processing framework
- 3.1What is predictive processing?
- 3.2Applying predictive processing to language: Solutions to the Now-or-Never bottleneck and some implications
- 4.Worries and future directions
- 5.Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
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References
https://doi.org/10.1075/pc.19001.rap