Neural basis for processing hidden complexity indexed by small and finite clauses in Mandarin Chinese

In this study we investigate how the human brain processes small clauses and finite clauses. Small clauses are instances of ‘simpler’ syntax in the sense that theydo not involve operations such asMove and Tense, and have been argued to represent an earlier stage of syntactic evolution before the development of fully-fledged syntax (Bickerton, 1990; Jackendoff 2010; Uriagereka, 2008). Understanding how the brain processes instances of different levels of syntactic complexity may further our understanding of (i) the analytical functions of specific brain regions, and (ii) the distributionof labor in the interpretation or different levels of syntax. To pursue this hypothesis, we ask whether small clauses require different analytical processes than regular syntax. This report provides evidence that they do. In an fMRI study of syntactic processing in a group of Mandarin speakers, small clauses showed greater activation of areas involved in semantic processing. In addition, both small and finite clauses showed substantial activation of areas implicated in syntactic and semantic processing, including significant RH activation. Kong, Rm 914, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, Pokfulam Road, ier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http:// U. Ansaldo et al. / Journal of Neurolinguistics 33 (2015) 118e127 119 We interpret these findings with reference to Levinson's articulatory bottleneck: structures which appear simpler in terms of syntactic production may require more effort in parsing. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).