Mental simulation: A cognitive linguistic approach to language teaching
- Laura Pissani, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
AbstractThis paper illustrates the neural mechanisms underlying language processing. Based on evidence from neuroscience, the Neural Theory of Language supports the idea that, to fully understand an utterance, one should be able to imagine the scene evoked by that utterance. To achieve that, brain regions responsible for the action associated with that utterance are activated in order to mentally simulate the action that is being described. In this report, I propose four activities that implement these findings to language teaching in order to boost the learning process and provide meaningful content, not only about language itself but also about the processes behind.