语词意义的神经认知视角

论文摘要

本文探讨语词意义问题,认为语词意义是人脑神经网络神经元之间的一种生物电-化学激活连通表征的过程,并非是外部世界、声音或文字符号的属性。人脑外部不存在语词意义,每个人大脑内也不存在完全统一一致的语词意义。为了说明这一点,本文通过述评从概念（认知）研究方法到神经认知研究方法的研究成果探讨了语词意义的各个方面,并在这一过程中以客观主义的观点作为主要的参照目标。本文认为,概念（认知）方法的研究成果有助于我们对语词意义某些方面的了解,但其理论模型及意义观主要基于心理现实性,因而带有主观推测性。本文认为,必须把心智和大脑结合起来研究才能最终确定语词意义问题。基于此,本文研究了与语词意义有关的脑科学研究成果,证明语词意义实现于人脑内部,语词意义有其确凿无疑的物质基础;同时还表明,所谓的语用意义亦实现于人脑,且主要是在右脑。精确的神经科学更是明确无疑地证明了语词意义的人脑神经现实性。为了使神经研究与语词意义研究更好地结合起来,本文对所倡导的方法同样冠以“神经认知”这一称谓,并从“神经认知”的视角对语词意义的神经过程进行了描述,对语词意义进行了重新定义。由于本文主旨是语词意义的本质问题,所以最后从神经认知的视角对语词意义及其与真值（真理）的关系进行了讨论。

论文目录

• Acknowledgements
• Abstract
• 摘要
• Chapter 1. Introduction
• 1.1 Purpose and basic assumptions
• 1.2 Specification of terminology
• 1.3 Research method and organization of the thesis
• Chapter 2. Conceptual approaches to word meaning
• 2.1 The issue of word meaning
• 2.2 General assumptions of conceptual approaches
• 2.3 Models of conceptual structure
• 2.3.1 Image schema theory
• 2.3.2 Categorization and ICMs
• 2.3.3 Conceptual metaphor and metonymy
• 2.3.4 Mental spaces and conceptual blending
• 2.3.5 Conceptual frames
• 2.4 Aspects of word meaning
• 2.4.1 Conventional and contextual aspects
• 2.4.2 Relevance-inferential aspects
• 2.4.3 Contextualism: use-conditional aspect
• 2.4.4 Intentionality as word meaning
• 2.4.5 Encyclopedic nature of word meaning
• 2.4.6 The protean nature of word meaning
• 2.5 Limitations of conceptual approaches
• Chapter 3. Neural approaches to word meaning
• 3.1 Approaching word meaning from within human brain
• 3.2 Findings from general neurolinguistics
• 3.2.1 Mental semantic representation
• 3.2.2 Semantic relations: lesion studies
• 3.2.3 Word meaning problems with right-hemisphere lesions
• 3.2.4 Word and meaning mapping models
• 3.3 Findings from neuroimaging studies
• 3.3.1 Aspects of word representations
• 3.3.2 Non-word information activations
• 3.3.3 Right hemisphere activations
• 3.3.4 Future neuroimaging orientations
• 3.4 Findings from neuroscience
• 3.4.1 The neural bio-electrochemical process
• 3.4.2 Word meaning as memory
• 3.4.3 Meaning as neural correlate of consciousness
• 3.4.4 A reductionist view
• Chapter 4. A Neurocognitive perspective on word meaning
• 4.1 Word meaning instantiation process
• 4.2 A case description of word and meaning process
• 4.3 Neurocognitive accommodationism
• 4.4 Neurocognitive interpretation of metaphor
• 4.5 Word meaning revisited in neurocognitive terms
• 4.6 A neurocognitive philosophy of word meaning and truth
• Chapter 5. Conclusion
• Bibliography