I am currently writing a grant proposal on the interconnectedness of grammatical constructions. The proposal involves examination of changes in grammar across the lifespan (beyond childhood) and whether or not various such changes are interconnected. To embed the proposal within a wider scientific interest in neuroplasticitiy, I am looking for literature on neuroplasticity with regard to cognitive processing of the world. I am thinking of longitudinal research in the tradition of K. Schaie on IQ; or applications from cognitive therapy such as EMDR that work on deeply entrenched complex cognitive structures. I am particularly interested to know if any research exists on changing world views or interconnected changing cognitive schemas (e.g., the effect of migrating or changing one’s religion on how other aspects of reality are experienced).
I would sudgest Piaget and Merlin Donald as two world view that can lead you in the right direction.
It tells us that neuroplasticity is a dynamic process which can compensate when trauma occurs, one of the most interesting books on the matter is The Brain That Changes Itself.
Hi Peter
I recently attended a talk on evolutionary neurodynamics, and while I am not in a position in which I can directly apply it to my work, it was fascinating at a framework level and I think applicable to the notion of changes and generalisation within the "constructicon". The basic idea is that successful networking solutions for "problems" are more likely to be replicated in other neural networks. The evolution metaphor extends to selection and mutation. This was the reference list:
http://www.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncom.2012.00024/abstract
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0023534
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cogs.12073/abstract
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0003775
http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/NECO_a_00031
Good luck with the proposal!
With apologies for any self-centeredness it might indicate, I might suggest some of my own work investigating with "aha" moments in mathematical reasoning.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/40026816_The_dynamics_of_insight_mathematical_discovery_as_a_phase_transition?ev=prf_pub
And for the clothing of related principles/proposals in explicitly neural garb, I recommend:
http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncom.2012.00044/abstract
Article The dynamics of insight: Mathematical discovery as a phase transition
This is an interesting question -- is it focused solely on presumed monolingual speakers (increasingly rare in world)? If not, you will want to consider the influences of exposure to another, or multiple other, languages as a critically important factor to language change across ontogenesis. And beyond grammar, an analysis might also need or want to address prosody and various ways in which language use changes across different communicative modalities (i.e., the evolution of new genres and language forms in Internet discourse, in language contact zones, and under conditions of linguistic superdiversity in urban environments). Each of these contexts would present differing rates and qualities of change in linguistic patterns, constructions, and forms.
I might also suggest that you look at research on language attrition, which would demonstrably contribute a multilingual element to your focus on changes in grammar/usage across the lifespan. Monika Schmid and Kees de Bot are important researchers in this area (see http://www.let.rug.nl/languageattrition/).
Good luck with the proposal!
I have already seen this 2 papers about Plasticity of Language-Related Brain Functions:
http://cercor.oxfordjournals.org/content/13/2/155.short
http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/30/4/749.short
In the same line, Can expect a change of world view in the part of those migrating from a language context to another?
Thank you for all your great answers so far!
Re Steven Thorne: I am aware of the research on language attrition, thank you. My own research will be on historical data, however (making use of prolific authors for each of which we now have more than a million words across their lifespan, allowing to look into grammatical phenomena that require more data than can be gained from elicitation/interviews etc.). You are right though that multilingualism may have played already then (especially English-French-Latin).
Peter, I work in child development syntax (in Spanish monolinguals speakers) considering specially the problem of Relative Clauses. I believe that Language Usage Models (Tomasello, Diessel, Lieven et als.) and Cognitive Linguistics (Langacker, Hopper, Givon) are richness theories that could explain not only the change but also variation and inestability. I believe that these phenomens could being motivate/ caused/ correlate (??) by neuroplasticity, in that sense I read Deane (1993) Grammar in Mind and Brain to guide my hypothetical thinking.
Molding a child's brain is much easy in regard to learning (absorbs much more easily than grown ups whom the mind seeks analogies and references in order to build a new concept)
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