Brain structure and language

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2,7, University of Cologne, 7 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: The brain is probably the most important part of the body. Its function is to control almost all body movements which also include the vegetative system like the digesting organs or the heart. Of course, it is also responsible for producing and receiving language. This paper will introduce the main structure of the brain with special attention to those areas of the brain which are involved in language. It starts with the general structure and then explains the different hemispheric functions and the main language areas in the brain. These not only include those which are necessary for speaking because language means more. That is the reason for explaining the auditory and visual pathways from their origin, the ear respectively the eye, all the way to their associated processing areas in the brain, as well. The second main part of this paper will give a short overview of the investigation methods which were and are used to map the brain and to gain knowledge about how the brain works in correlation with language. This overview reaches from the early attempts of post-mortem examination to the high-tech methods of today neurolinguistics.