Language Processing as a Precursor to Language Change: Evidence From Icelandic

Ina Bornkessel-Schlesewsky; Dietmar Roehm; Robert Mailhammer; Matthias Schlesewsky

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03013

Language Processing as a Precursor to Language Change: Evidence From Icelandic

Front Psychol. 2020 Jan 17:10:3013. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03013. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Ina Bornkessel-Schlesewsky^{1

2}, Dietmar Roehm^{3

4}, Robert Mailhammer^{5

6}, Matthias Schlesewsky^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Research Hub, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
² School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
³ Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
⁴ Department of Linguistics, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
⁵ School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
⁶ The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.

Abstract

One of the main characteristics of human languages is that they are subject to fundamental changes over time. However, because of the long transitional periods involved, the internal dynamics of such changes are typically inaccessible. Here, we present a new approach to examining language change via its connection to language comprehension. By means of an EEG experiment on Icelandic, a prominent current example of a language in transition, we show that the neurophysiological responses of native speakers already reflect projected changes that are not yet apparent in their overt behavior. Neurocognitive measures thus offer a means of predicting, rather than only retracing, language change.

Keywords: Icelandic; N400; event-related potentials; language change; language comprehension; late positivity.