A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence

by Jeff Hawkins

There are two modest-size regions of the neocortex that are said to be responsible for language. Wernicke’s area is thought to be responsible for language comprehension, and Broca’s area is thought to be responsible for language production. This is a bit of a simplification. First, there is disagreement over the exact location and extent of these regions. Second, the functions of Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas are not neatly differentiated into comprehension and production; they overlap a bit. Finally, and this should be obvious, language can’t be isolated to two small regions of the neocortex. We use spoken language, written language, and sign language. Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas don’t get input directly from the sensors, so the comprehension of language must rely on auditory and visual regions, and the production of language must rely on different motor abilities. Large areas of the neocortex are needed to create and understand language. Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas play a key role, but it is wrong to think of them as creating language in isolation. A surprising thing about language, and one that suggests that language may be different than other cognitive functions, is that Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas are only on the left side of the brain. The equivalent areas on the right side are only marginally implicated in language. Almost everything else the neocortex does occurs on both sides of the brain. The unique asymmetry of language suggests there is something different a...