Objective
"What are the uniquely human mechanisms of language acquisition that enable infants to start discovering the words and structures of their native language by the end of their first year? Language is undoubtedly a specifically human function, but it is crucial to disentangle between human-specific vs. general-processing skills that allow language acquisition. This project aims at exploring the developmental and evolutionary origins of one of the features of speech processing: the ability to assign specific functional roles to the different categories of sounds composing speech. Indeed, there is a Consonant/Vowel functional asymmetry in the world's languages as well as in speech processing, whereby consonants better fit the requirements of lexical processing (e.g. when writing abbreviations we tend to remove vowels and keep consonants to avoid compromising meaning, as in txt msgng), while vowels are better targets for syntax-related processes. It remains unknown where this ""division of labour"" comes from: uniquely human predisposition playing a role in early syntax and lexical acquisition, or consequence of the asymmetry present in the input?
In this work we will conduct experiments in infants as well as in rats, to test the hypothesis that the C/V asymmetry : (1) is not the by-product of the physical differences between vowels and consonants, (2) plays a significant role in early language acquisition; (3) derives from more general perceptual biases shared with other species.
This interdisciplinary project will use both behavioral and neuroimaging measures in infants and rats to investigate the origins of the C/V asymmetry in language acquisition and evolution.
"
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- social sciences psychology psycholinguistics
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2015
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
08002 Barcelona
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.