Embodied semantics theory asserts that the meaning of action-related words is neurally represented through networks that overlap with or are identical to networks involved in sensory-motor processing. While some studi...Embodied semantics theory asserts that the meaning of action-related words is neurally represented through networks that overlap with or are identical to networks involved in sensory-motor processing. While some studies supporting this theory have focused on Chinese characters, less attention has been paid to their semantic radicals. Indeed, there is still disagreement about whether these radicals are processed independently. The present study investigated whether radicals are processed separately and, if so, whether this processing occurs in sensory-motor regions. Materials consisted of 72 high-frequency Chinese characters, with 18 in each of four categories： hand-action verbs with and without hand-radicals, and verbs not related to hand actions, with and without hand-radicals. Twenty-eight participants underwent functional MRI scans while reading the characters. Compared to characters without hand-radicals, reading characters with hand-radicals activated the right medial frontal gyrus. Verbs involving hand-action activated the left inferior parietal lobule, possibly reflecting integration of information in the radical with the semantic meaning of the verb. The findings may be consistent with embodied semantics theory and suggest that neural representation of radicals is indispensable in processing Chinese characters.展开更多
Guqin music is a precious cultural heritage of China. The notation of Guqin is very special, which records its playing methods and techniques. For the purpose of preserving the guqin art, the digitalization of guqin n...Guqin music is a precious cultural heritage of China. The notation of Guqin is very special, which records its playing methods and techniques. For the purpose of preserving the guqin art, the digitalization of guqin notation and an interpretation method of guqin notation were conducted. By using this interpretation method, raw images of handwritten notations are transformed into structural data that can be processed and analyzed by computers easily. The method decomposes each single complex character of guqin notations into simple radicals and finds the structure of the character. According to the radicals and the structure, the character is interpreted into meaningful codes. The experimental results show our method is effective.展开更多
基金supported by a grant from Ministry of Education,Taiwan,China under the Aiming for the Top University Plan at Taiwan Normal University,China
文摘Embodied semantics theory asserts that the meaning of action-related words is neurally represented through networks that overlap with or are identical to networks involved in sensory-motor processing. While some studies supporting this theory have focused on Chinese characters, less attention has been paid to their semantic radicals. Indeed, there is still disagreement about whether these radicals are processed independently. The present study investigated whether radicals are processed separately and, if so, whether this processing occurs in sensory-motor regions. Materials consisted of 72 high-frequency Chinese characters, with 18 in each of four categories： hand-action verbs with and without hand-radicals, and verbs not related to hand actions, with and without hand-radicals. Twenty-eight participants underwent functional MRI scans while reading the characters. Compared to characters without hand-radicals, reading characters with hand-radicals activated the right medial frontal gyrus. Verbs involving hand-action activated the left inferior parietal lobule, possibly reflecting integration of information in the radical with the semantic meaning of the verb. The findings may be consistent with embodied semantics theory and suggest that neural representation of radicals is indispensable in processing Chinese characters.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.6097507)
文摘Guqin music is a precious cultural heritage of China. The notation of Guqin is very special, which records its playing methods and techniques. For the purpose of preserving the guqin art, the digitalization of guqin notation and an interpretation method of guqin notation were conducted. By using this interpretation method, raw images of handwritten notations are transformed into structural data that can be processed and analyzed by computers easily. The method decomposes each single complex character of guqin notations into simple radicals and finds the structure of the character. According to the radicals and the structure, the character is interpreted into meaningful codes. The experimental results show our method is effective.
