The Focusing Hypothesis

The theory of left hemisphere lateralised language re-examined

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ISBN 9789027243331 (Eur) | EUR 105.00
ISBN 9781556193897 (USA) | USD 158.00
 
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ISBN 9789027277206 | EUR 105.00 | USD 158.00
 
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This book explores the nature of the control of language processing by the hemispheres of the neocortex. The author expounds a novel hypothesis, “The Focusing Hypothesis”, which holds that language processing in the brain is achieved through analytic and holistic systems, the former through left and the latter through right hemisphere processing. This hypothesis differs from current thinking in so far as it proposes that the involvement of the two systems (and two hemispheres) depends on the strategy selected by the speaker and that the engagement by one hemisphere over another will depend upon the communicative intent of the speaker and the propositionality of the utterance under production. Throughout the book there are useful and important discussions on such topics as the value of laboratory-based psycholinguistic experiments — given their tendency to encourage a “metalinguistic” strategy on the part of subjects, the nature of propositionality in language and brain and the difficulties of testing this hypothesis given the research approaches currently available. The Focusing Hypothesis is tested by comprehensive review of the existing experimental psycholinguistic, neuropsychological and neurophysiological literature, and a range of predictions which follow from the hypothesis are detailed.
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Table of Contents
Cited by (17)

Cited by 17 other publications

Papadopoulou, Anastasia-Konstantina, Christos Samsouris, Filippos Vlachos, Nicholas A. Badcock, Phivos Phylactou & Marietta Papadatou-Pastou
2024. Exploring cerebral laterality of writing and the relationship to handedness: a functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound investigation. Laterality 29:1  pp. 117 ff. DOI logo
Xue, Carol Lin & Yi-Sheng Lv
2022. The Paradigmatic and Syntagmatic Priming Effect of Part of Speech Representation. Complexity 2022:1 DOI logo
Yu, Yue
2022. The role of psycholinguistics for language learning in teaching based on formulaic sequence use and oral fluency. Frontiers in Psychology 13 DOI logo
Uhlíř, Vilém
2018. Representational Systems in Zoosemiotics and Anthroposemiotics Part II: On Meta-Representation and Human Language. Linguistic Frontiers 1:1  pp. 39 ff. DOI logo
Zhou, Rong
2017. Categorizing English Emotion Formulaic Sequences. Chinese Semiotic Studies 13:2  pp. 137 ff. DOI logo
Uomini, Natalie T.
2015. Paleoneurology and Behaviour. In Human Paleoneurology [Springer Series in Bio-/Neuroinformatics, 3],  pp. 121 ff. DOI logo
Lindholm, Camilla & Alison Wray
2011. Proverbs and formulaic sequences in the language of elderly people with dementia. Dementia 10:4  pp. 603 ff. DOI logo
Caple, Helen & Monika Bednarek
2010. Double-take: Unpacking the play in the image-nuclear news story. Visual Communication 9:2  pp. 211 ff. DOI logo
Gregory, Stanford W., Will Kalkhoff, Sarah K. Harkness & Jessica L. Paull
2009. Targeted high and low speech frequency bands to right and left ears respectively improve task performance and perceived sociability in dyadic conversations. Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition 14:4  pp. 423 ff. DOI logo
Bolender, John
2007. Prehistoric cognition by description: a Russellian approach to the upper paleolithic. Biology & Philosophy 22:3  pp. 383 ff. DOI logo
Lindell, Annukka K.
2006. In Your Right Mind: Right Hemisphere Contributions to Language Processing and Production. Neuropsychology Review 16:3  pp. 131 ff. DOI logo
Paribakht, T. Sima
2004. The Role of Grammar in Second Language Lexical Processing. RELC Journal 35:2  pp. 149 ff. DOI logo
Ellis, Nick C.
2003. Constructions, Chunking, and Connectionism: The Emergence of Second Language Structure. In The Handbook of Second Language Acquisition,  pp. 63 ff. DOI logo
Bygate, Martin
1998. Theoretical Perspectives on Speaking. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 18  pp. 20 ff. DOI logo
Wray, Alison
1998. Protolanguage as a holistic system for social interaction. Language & Communication 18:1  pp. 47 ff. DOI logo
Wray, Alison
1999. Formulaic language in learners and native speakers. Language Teaching 32:4  pp. 213 ff. DOI logo
Wray, Alison
2024. Formulaic Sequences and Language Disorders. In The Handbook of Clinical Linguistics, Second Edition,  pp. 177 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 27 september 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Subjects

Main BIC Subject

CF: Linguistics

Main BISAC Subject

LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General
ONIX Metadata
ONIX 2.1
ONIX 3.0
U.S. Library of Congress Control Number:  92036730 | Marc record