Elliot Murphy
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View article: Merge-based syntax is mediated by distinct neurocognitive mechanisms: A clustering analysis of comprehension abilities in 84,000 individuals with language deficits across nine languages
Merge-based syntax is mediated by distinct neurocognitive mechanisms: A clustering analysis of comprehension abilities in 84,000 individuals with language deficits across nine languages Open
In the modern language sciences, the core computational operation of syntax, ‘Merge’, is defined as an operation that combines two linguistic units (e.g., ‘brown’, ‘cat’) to form a categorized structure (‘brown cat’, a Noun Phrase). This c…
View article: Neural mechanisms of structural inference: an EEG investigation of linguistic phrase structure categorization
Neural mechanisms of structural inference: an EEG investigation of linguistic phrase structure categorization Open
Language comprehension is a complex cognitive process of understanding spoken or written language, during which the brain derives meanings and interprets messages by constructing hierarchical structures from word sequences. A key component…
View article: Fundamental Principles of Linguistic Structure are Not Represented by o3
Fundamental Principles of Linguistic Structure are Not Represented by o3 Open
A core component of a successful artificial general intelligence would be the rapid creation and manipulation of grounded compositional abstractions and the demonstration of expertise in the family of recursive hierarchical syntactic objec…
View article: A comparative investigation of compositional syntax and semantics in DALL·E and young children
A comparative investigation of compositional syntax and semantics in DALL·E and young children Open
In this study we compared how well DALL·E 2 and DALL·E 3 visually represented the meaning of linguistic prompts also given to young children in comprehension tests. Sentences representing fundamental components of grammatical knowledge wer…
View article: Shadow of the (Hierarchical) Tree: Reconciling Symbolic and Predictive Components of the Neural Code for Syntax
Shadow of the (Hierarchical) Tree: Reconciling Symbolic and Predictive Components of the Neural Code for Syntax Open
Natural language syntax can serve as a major test for how to integrate two infamously distinct frameworks: symbolic representations and connectionist neural networks. Building on a recent neurocomputational architecture for syntax (ROSE), …
View article: On the referential capacity of language models: An internalist rejoinder to Mandelkern & Linzen
On the referential capacity of language models: An internalist rejoinder to Mandelkern & Linzen Open
In a recent paper, Mandelkern & Linzen (2024) - henceforth M&L - address the question of whether language models' (LMs) words refer. Their argument draws from the externalist tradition in philosophical semantics, which views reference as t…
View article: A Comparative Investigation of Compositional Syntax and Semantics in DALL-E 2
A Comparative Investigation of Compositional Syntax and Semantics in DALL-E 2 Open
In this study we compared how well DALL-E 2 visually represented the meaning of linguistic prompts also given to young children in comprehension tests. Sentences representing fundamental components of grammatical knowledge were selected fr…
View article: The paper was boring and long: A reply to Michel and Löhr’s theory of predicate ordering in copredication
The paper was boring and long: A reply to Michel and Löhr’s theory of predicate ordering in copredication Open
In a recent publication, Michel and Löhr (2024) propose a predictive processing (PP) theory of copredication. They do so in an attempt to account for previously documented predicate ordering effects, whereby copredication acceptability is …
View article: What is a word?
What is a word? Open
In order to design strong paradigms for isolating lexical access and semantics, we need to know what a word is. Surprisingly few linguists and philosophers have a clear model of what a word is, even though words impact basically every aspe…
View article: Editorial: The evolution of the brain hardware for language
Editorial: The evolution of the brain hardware for language Open
EDITORIAL article Front. Psychol., 01 November 2023Sec. Psychology of Language Volume 14 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1323737
View article: A future without a past: Philosophical consequences of Merge
A future without a past: Philosophical consequences of Merge Open
A Future Without a Past: Philosophical Consequences of Merge Authors Elliot Murphy Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas, Houstan, TX, USA PDF HTML XML Article info Impact Citations How to Cite License Published a…
View article: The Quo Vadis of the Relationship between Language and Large Language Models
The Quo Vadis of the Relationship between Language and Large Language Models Open
In the field of Artificial (General) Intelligence (AI), the several recent advancements in Natural language processing (NLP) activities relying on Large Language Models (LLMs) have come to encourage the adoption of LLMs as scientific model…
View article: A Sentence is Worth a Thousand Pictures: Can Large Language Models Understand Hum4n L4ngu4ge and the W0rld behind W0rds?
A Sentence is Worth a Thousand Pictures: Can Large Language Models Understand Hum4n L4ngu4ge and the W0rld behind W0rds? Open
Modern Artificial Intelligence applications show great potential for language-related tasks that rely on next-word prediction. The current generation of Large Language Models (LLMs) have been linked to claims about human-like linguistic pe…
View article: Spatiotemporally distributed frontotemporal networks for sentence reading
Spatiotemporally distributed frontotemporal networks for sentence reading Open
Reading a sentence entails integrating the meanings of individual words to infer more complex, higher-order meaning. This highly rapid and complex human behavior is known to engage the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and middle temporal gyrus…
View article: Language deficits in GRIN2A mutations and Landau–Kleffner syndrome as neural dysrhythmias
Language deficits in GRIN2A mutations and Landau–Kleffner syndrome as neural dysrhythmias Open
We review epilepsy-related aphasias in connection with GRIN2A mutations, focusing on acquired childhood epileptic aphasias such as Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS). The spontaneous speech of children with LKS exhibits syntactically simplifie…
View article: ROSE: A Neurocomputational Architecture for Syntax
ROSE: A Neurocomputational Architecture for Syntax Open
A comprehensive model of natural language processing in the brain must accommodate four components: representations, operations, structures and encoding. It further requires a principled account of how these components mechanistically, and…
View article: Testing AI on language comprehension tasks reveals insensitivity to underlying meaning
Testing AI on language comprehension tasks reveals insensitivity to underlying meaning Open
Large Language Models (LLMs) are recruited in applications that span from clinical assistance and legal support to question answering and education. Their success in specialized tasks has led to the claim that they possess human-like lingu…
View article: Language deficits in GRIN2A mutations and Landau–Kleffner syndrome as neural dysrhythmias
Language deficits in GRIN2A mutations and Landau–Kleffner syndrome as neural dysrhythmias Open
This paper examines epilepsy-related aphasias in connection with GRIN2A mutations, focusing on acquired childhood epileptic aphasias, in particular, on Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS). Characterizing LKS as neural dysrhythmias, we review ho…
View article: Animals Sick with Language: From Syntax to Socialism in Nietzsche
Animals Sick with Language: From Syntax to Socialism in Nietzsche Open
While some have argued that a reappraisal of Nietzsche’s politics needs to be anchored around his conception of social power and hierarchy, I will argue that a focus on Nietzsche’s basic metaphysics can be fruitful. I will be exploring Nie…
View article: DALL·E 2 fails to reliably capture common syntactic processes
DALL·E 2 fails to reliably capture common syntactic processes Open
Machine intelligence is increasingly being linked to claims about sentience, language processing, and an ability to comprehend and transform natural language into a range of stimuli. We analyze the ability of DALL·E 2 to translate natural …
View article: Natural Language Syntax Complies with the Free-Energy Principle
Natural Language Syntax Complies with the Free-Energy Principle Open
Natural language syntax yields an unbounded array of hierarchically structured expressions. We claim that these are used in the service of active inference in accord with the free-energy principle (FEP). While conceptual advances alongside…
View article: DALL-E 2 Fails to Reliably Capture Common Syntactic Processes
DALL-E 2 Fails to Reliably Capture Common Syntactic Processes Open
Machine intelligence is increasingly being linked to claims about sentience, language processing, and an ability to comprehend and transform natural language into a range of stimuli. We systematically analyze the ability of DALL-E 2 to cap…