Semantic Grounding of Novel Spoken Words in the Primary Visual Cortex

Embodied theories of grounded semantics postulate that, when word meaning is first acquired, a link established between symbol (word form) and corresponding semantic information present in modality-specific—including primary—sensorimotor cortices the brain. Direct experimental evidence documenting emergence such (i.e., showing that presentation previously unknown, meaningless sound induces, after learning, category-specific reactivation relevant primary sensory or motor brain areas), however, still missing. Here, we new neuroimaging results provide evidence. We taught participants aspects referential senseless novel spoken words (such as “Shruba” “Flipe”) by associating them with either familiar action object. After training, used functional magnetic resonance imaging to analyze participants’ responses speech items. found hearing newly learnt object-related sounds selectively triggered activity visual cortex, well secondary higher areas.These for time directly document formation novel, items areas manner, providing support perceptual accounts word-meaning acquisition