MMN and mapping the fine structure of phonological representations
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1
Department of Linguistics, University of Konstanz, Germany
The Mismatch Negativity (MMN) has been used among others to map language specific representations in the brain. This presentation will summarize MMN studies dealing with the processing of the sound structure of languages. The focus will be on studies investigating the fine structure of phonological representations in the mental lexicon. I will argue that the MMN is a useful measure to compare the predictive value of different models of speech perception. Models proposing abstract underspecified representations of phonological features in the mental lexicon (i.e. not all phonological features are stored) predict asymmetric MMN effects which could be demonstrated for different featural dimensions and stimuli of different phonetic complexity. Constraints in using the MMN for investigations concerning phonological representations will be discussed. These results as well as studies demonstrating an influence of the language-specific phonological system on the fine structure of the phonological representations (i.e. identical and productive acoustic/phonetic contrasts may result in differential MMN effects in speakers of different languages) suggest an influence of use-dependent and language system-dependent factors on the fine structure of phonological representations in the mental lexicon.
Conference:
MMN 09
Fifth Conference on Mismatch Negativity (MMN) and its Clinical and Scientific Applications, Budapest, Hungary, 4 Apr - 7 Apr, 2009.
Presentation Type:
Oral Presentation
Topic:
Symposium 5: Language and language deficits
Citation:
Eulitz
C
(2009). MMN and mapping the fine structure of phonological representations.
Conference Abstract:
MMN 09
Fifth Conference on Mismatch Negativity (MMN) and its Clinical and Scientific Applications.
doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.05.023
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Received:
19 Mar 2009;
Published Online:
19 Mar 2009.
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Correspondence:
C. Eulitz, Department of Linguistics, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany, .carsten.eulitz@uni-konstanz.de