The When, Where, and How of Morphological Processing in the Human Brain: Evidence from Mandarin Chinese

This book examines the behavioral and neural bases of morphological processing with evidence from Mandarin Chinese. While the role of morphology in alphabetic language processing has been widely explored, how the human brain encodes morphological information in Mandarin Chinese remains unclear. The book investigates when and where morphological processing occurs in the brain and how different aspects, such as storage units, constraint encoding, structural effects, and cross-language transfer, are represented. By mapping both the timing and brain localization of these processes, it highlights morphology as a fundamental component of the mental lexicon, essential for vocabulary learning and second language development. The findings not only advance theoretical understanding but also underscore the importance of incorporating morphological insights into language learning, education, and research.

Fei Gao obtained his Ph.D. in Linguistics (English) from the University of Macau (2022) and currently works at the Institute of Modern Languages and Linguistics of Fudan University as Assistant Professor. His research interest includes Chinese reading, bilingual processing, and neuroimaging (EEG, fNIRS, fMRI).Dr. Gao is the recipient of the ARWA Early-Career Award (2024) and the Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program (2023).