Sentences such as "The author started the book" are indeterminate because they do not make explicit what the subject (the author) started doing with the object (the book). In principle, indeterminate sentences allow for an infinite number of interpretations. One theory, however, assumes that these sentences are resolved by semantic coercion, a linguistic process that forces the noun "book" to be interpreted as an activity (e.g., writing the book) or by a process that interpolates this activity information in the resulting (...) enriched semantic composition. An alternative theory, pragmatic, assumes classical semantic composition, whereby meaning arises from the denotation of words and how they are combined syntactically, with enrichment obtained via pragmatic inferences beyond linguistic-semantic processes. Cognitive neuroscience studies investigating the neuroanatomical and functional correlates of indeterminate sentences have shown activations either at the ventromedial pre-frontal cortex or at the left inferior frontal gyrus. These studies have supported the semantic coercion theory assuming that one of these regions is where enriched semantic composition takes place. Employing fMRI, we found that indeterminate sentences activate bilaterally the superior temporal gyrus, the right inferior frontal gyrus, and the anterior cingulate cortex, more so than control sentences ("The author wrote the book"). Activation of indeterminate sentences exceeded that of anomalous sentences ("…drank the book") and engaged more left- and right-hemisphere areas than other sentence types. We suggest that the widespread activations for indeterminate sentences represent the deployment of pragmatic-inferential processes, which seek to enrich sentence content without necessarily resorting to semantic coercion. (shrink)

Locating the position of the Delphic hippodrome is a long‑standing question in the archaeology of the site. The suggestions made so far by early modern travellers and contemporary researchers have not yielded results, and thus it is considered to be lost in the alluvial soils of the Chrisso olive groves. In general, our inability to spot ancient Greek hippodromes is due to their lack of monumental structures, as they were situated in any suitable, naturally landscaped space. The site of (...) class='Hi'>Gonia, 1 km north of Itea in the southwestern part of the Kirrha plain, matches the information gleaned from the ancient literary sources for this monument, from Pindar to Pausanias, and brings together all the features required for an ancient hippodrome: the elongated space of about 1 km in length would easily fit the racing grounds themselves, its dimensions corresponding to those known from the Olympic racecourse. The flat area is surrounded by natural slopes on three of its four sides, ideal for spectators' stands, where stone seats have been spotted, carved into the bedrock. At the northern end, the grounds appear amphitheatrical; a roughly‑made column drum found there appears similar to that from the Lykaion racecourse, generally identified as the base of a turning‑post. The new find signals a breakthrough in our knowledge of ancient Greek hippodromes, calls for a re‑evaluation of the question of the Archaic stadium at Delphi and its location, and, further, invites consideration regarding the number of participants in equestrian events. (shrink)