語言模組，又稱為 語言官能，是人腦或認知系統中的一種假設結構，含有與生俱來的語言能力，最初由諾姆喬姆斯基提出。目前關於大腦模組化的研究正在認知科學和神經科學領域進行，不過目前的觀點相較於喬姆斯基和傑瑞福多在 1980 年代所提出的觀點弱上許多。在今日術語中，模組化指的是專門化處理：語言處理在大腦中是專門化的，這意指語言處理是區域性發生在不同的區域，不同於像是視覺輸入這種其它型別的資訊處理。目前的觀點認為，語言既非發生在分隔的區域，也不是基於像喬治萊考夫所提出的那種通用的加工原則，而是在某種程度上模組化的，被認為是認知功能中的一個特定的或認知區域。 模組的含義 人腦中「語言專用模組」的概念，起源於喬姆斯基的普遍文法 （UG）理論。由於對語言模組性問題的理解不同而引發了爭論。Coltheart M 1999 Modularity and cognition Trends in Cognitive Sciences 3 115120 但是，在文獻中存在一些共識，即認為模組是以資訊封裝的方式處理特定表徵（Bryson 和 Stein，2001） Bryson J J 2002 Language isnt quite that special Brain and Behavioral Sciences 25 6 679680 Fodor J A 1983 The Modularity of Mind Bradford Books MIT Press Cambridge MA 。 Flombaum J I Santos L R Hauser M D 2002 Neuroecology and psychological modularity Trends in Cognitive Sciences 6 3 106108 應當對「解剖模組性」和「功能模組性」作出區分，前者認為在大腦中存在一個負責處理相關歷程的「區域」，而後者則取消了解剖模組性，認為資訊封裝分散在大腦的各個部分中。 Calabretta R Di Ferdinando A Wagner G P Parisi D 2003 What does it take to evolve behaviorally complex organisms BioSystems 69 245262 沒有單一的解剖模組 現有證據指出，沒有一個解剖區域專門用來處理語言。（Wada test）使用異戊巴比妥鈉來麻醉一個腦半球 ，結果表明左半球對至關重要。Wada J Rasmussen T 1960 Intracarotid injection of Sodium Amytal for the lateralization of cerebral speech dominance Experimental and clinical observations Journal of Neurosurgery 17 266282 然而，神經成像的結果指出，語言處理並非只有單獨區域涉及，而是由許多不同區域涉及語言處理中的不同環節，Raichle ME 1988 Positron emission tomographic studies of the cortical anatomy of singleword processing Nature 331 585589 Martin R C 2003 Language processing Functional organization and neuroanatomical basis Annual Review of Psychology 54 5590 Binder J Price C 2001 Functional imaging of language In R Cabeza and A Kingstone Eds Handbook of Functional Neuroimaging of Cognition pp 187251 Cambridge MA MIT Press 不只是存在於左半球。Robertson D A Gernsbacher MA Guidotti SJ Robertson RR Irwin W Mock BJ Campana E 2000 Functional neuroanatomy of the cognitive process of mapping during discourse comprehension Psychological Science 11 25560 此外，個別區域似乎具有許多不同的功能。Grodinsky Y 2006 The language faculty Brocas region and the mirror system Cortex 42 4 464468 因此，在解剖模組內發生語言處理的程度被視為輕微的。 然而，正如許多人所建議的那樣，即使語言處理是在整個大腦中進行，語言處理依然可以是模組性處理 Pinker S 1997 How The Mind Works Harmondsworth Penguin von der Malsburg C 1995 Binding in models of perception and brain function Current Opinion in Neurobiology 5 52052。亦即，語言處理可以在功能模組中進行。 沒有雙重分離的習得或發展 一種用於證明模組性的常見方法，是找到一個。這會分成兩組，第一組是語言能力嚴重受損但認知能力正常的人，第二組則是認知能力嚴重受損但語言能力完好的人。Dunn J C Kirsner K 2003 What can we infer from double dissociations Cortex 39 17Coltheart M Davies M 2003 Inference and explanation in cognitive neuropsychology Cortex 39 188191Moscovitch M Umiltà C 1990 Modularity and neuropsychology implications for the organization of attention and memory in normal and braindamaged people In M F Schwartz Ed Modular Deficits in Alzheimertype dementia Cambridge MA MIT Press 雖然在左半球臨側裂區（perisylvian area）的廣泛病變，可能會使人無法產生或感知語言（完全性失語症），Goodglass H Kaplan E 1972 The Assessment of Aphasia and Related Disorders Philadelphia PA Lea Febiger 但是沒有一種已知個案，在面臨嚴重的非語言性惡化時，語言能夠完全完好無損。Levy Y 1996 Modularity of language reconsidered Brain Language 55 2 240263 因此，基於這一證據，語言處理不能被賦予功能模組的地位。 然而，來自發展研究（Development studies）用來支援語言模組的證據也被提出（最著名的是史迪芬平克 Pinker S 1994 The language instinct How the mind creates language pp 3743 New York W Morrow），即所謂「和威廉氏症候群之間的分離現象（dissociation）」，前者是語言混亂，而其他心智慧力則不受影響，van der Lely H K J 2005 DomainSpecific Cognitive Systems Insight from Grammatical Specific Language Impairment Trends in Cognitive Sciences 9 2 5359 後者則是存在嚴重的心智缺陷，語言能力卻倖免於難 Bellugi U Marks S Bihrle A Sabo H 1988 Dissociation between language and cognitive functions in Williams syndrome In D Bishop and K Mogford Eds Language development in exceptional circumstances pp 177189 London Churchill Livingstone。更近期和實證性強的研究表明，這些主張可能不正確，因此大大削弱了對分離現象的支援。 舉例來說，布洛克 Brock J 2007 Language abilities in Williams syndrome A critical review Development and Psychopathology 19 97127 還有 Mervis 和 Beccera 的回顧工作 Mervis C B Beccera A M 2007 Language and communicative development in Williams Syndrome Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews 13 315 證明，威廉氏症候群患者的語言能力並不比失去語言能力的患者的預測表現還要好。 另外，關於特定型語言障礙究竟是一種語言障礙，還是病因來自更普遍的認知問題（如語音），有著相當多的爭論。Norbury C Bishop D V M Briscoe J 2001 Production of English finite verb morphology A Comparison of SLI and mildmoderate hearing impairment Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research 44 165178Leonard L 1998 Children with Specific Language Impairment Cambridge Massachusetts MIT PressBishop D V M 1994 Grammatical errors in specific language impairment Competence or performance limitations Applied Psycholinguistics 15 507550Kail R 1994 A method for studying the generalized slowing hypothesis in children with specific language impairment Journal of Speech and Hearing Research 37 418421 因此，目前還沒有找到證明模組性所需的證據，即保持完好的語言能力卻有嚴重的智力退化。因此，發展資料的證據幾乎無法證明語言處理發生在模組中。 因此，雙重分離的證據未能佐證模組性，雖然缺乏分離並不能證明模組是錯的，但是該結果並無法從邏輯上推論出模組性。 缺乏資訊的封裝 如果語言是一個模組，它的確會是資訊封裝的。 然而，有證據表明事實並非如此。例如，在（McGurk 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