Jabberwockyby

Lewis Carroll

Jabberwocky

Discussion Themes

In the context of Carroll’s poem, “Jabberwocky”:

1. Linguistic aspects

2. Literary aspects

3. Cognitive aspects

Jabberwocky

Discussion Themes

In the context of Carroll’s poem, “Jabberwocky”:

1. Linguistic aspects

2. Literary aspects

3. Cognitive aspects

Jabberwocky

Discussion Themes

In the context of Carroll’s poem, “Jabberwocky”:

1. Linguistic aspects

2. Literary aspects

3. Cognitive aspects

Jabberwocky

Jabberwocky

Figure: Illustrated by John Tenniel

Jabberwocky

Plot of Jabberwocky

1. Frame exposition

2. Warning

3. Hero goes on a quest

4. Arrival of the foe

5. Battle and victory

6. Hero’s welcome

Jabberwocky

Plot of Jabberwocky

1. Frame exposition

2. Warning

3. Hero goes on a quest

4. Arrival of the foe

5. Battle and victory

6. Hero’s welcome

Jabberwocky

Plot of Jabberwocky

1. Frame exposition

2. Warning

3. Hero goes on a quest

4. Arrival of the foe

5. Battle and victory

6. Hero’s welcome

Jabberwocky

Plot of Jabberwocky

1. Frame exposition

2. Warning

3. Hero goes on a quest

4. Arrival of the foe

5. Battle and victory

6. Hero’s welcome

Jabberwocky

Plot of Jabberwocky

1. Frame exposition

2. Warning

3. Hero goes on a quest

4. Arrival of the foe

5. Battle and victory

6. Hero’s welcome

Jabberwocky

Plot of Jabberwocky

1. Frame exposition

2. Warning

3. Hero goes on a quest

4. Arrival of the foe

5. Battle and victory

6. Hero’s welcome

Jabberwocky

Lewis Carroll

Figure: 1832 to 1898

Jabberwocky

Short Background on Lewis Carroll

I Real name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

I Lewis Carroll: Writer of Alice in Wonderland and Through theLooking Glass

I Profession:Actually a math professor at Oxford University inthe mid 1800’s.

I Wrote many books on math and logic

I Loved to teach logic to people of all ages, including youngchildren

I Taught complicated ideas in a fun way (playing games,riddles, inventing funny poems and stories)

I Taught children logic [game theory, set theory] and howlanguage is used and constructed through stories andnonsense poems

Jabberwocky

Short Background on Lewis Carroll

I Real name:

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

I Lewis Carroll: Writer of Alice in Wonderland and Through theLooking Glass

I Profession:Actually a math professor at Oxford University inthe mid 1800’s.

I Wrote many books on math and logic

I Loved to teach logic to people of all ages, including youngchildren

I Taught complicated ideas in a fun way (playing games,riddles, inventing funny poems and stories)

I Taught children logic [game theory, set theory] and howlanguage is used and constructed through stories andnonsense poems

Jabberwocky

Short Background on Lewis Carroll

I Real name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

I Lewis Carroll: Writer of Alice in Wonderland and Through theLooking Glass

I Profession:Actually a math professor at Oxford University inthe mid 1800’s.

I Wrote many books on math and logic

I Loved to teach logic to people of all ages, including youngchildren

I Taught complicated ideas in a fun way (playing games,riddles, inventing funny poems and stories)

I Taught children logic [game theory, set theory] and howlanguage is used and constructed through stories andnonsense poems

Jabberwocky

Short Background on Lewis Carroll

I Real name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

I Lewis Carroll: Writer of Alice in Wonderland and Through theLooking Glass

I Profession:Actually a math professor at Oxford University inthe mid 1800’s.

I Wrote many books on math and logic

I Loved to teach logic to people of all ages, including youngchildren

I Taught complicated ideas in a fun way (playing games,riddles, inventing funny poems and stories)

I Taught children logic [game theory, set theory] and howlanguage is used and constructed through stories andnonsense poems

Jabberwocky

Short Background on Lewis Carroll

I Real name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

I Lewis Carroll: Writer of Alice in Wonderland and Through theLooking Glass

I Profession:

Actually a math professor at Oxford University inthe mid 1800’s.

I Wrote many books on math and logic

I Loved to teach logic to people of all ages, including youngchildren

I Taught complicated ideas in a fun way (playing games,riddles, inventing funny poems and stories)

I Taught children logic [game theory, set theory] and howlanguage is used and constructed through stories andnonsense poems

Jabberwocky

Short Background on Lewis Carroll

I Real name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

I Lewis Carroll: Writer of Alice in Wonderland and Through theLooking Glass

I Profession:Actually a math professor at Oxford University inthe mid 1800’s.

I Wrote many books on math and logic

I Loved to teach logic to people of all ages, including youngchildren

I Taught complicated ideas in a fun way (playing games,riddles, inventing funny poems and stories)

I Taught children logic [game theory, set theory] and howlanguage is used and constructed through stories andnonsense poems

Jabberwocky

Short Background on Lewis Carroll

I Real name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

I Lewis Carroll: Writer of Alice in Wonderland and Through theLooking Glass

I Profession:Actually a math professor at Oxford University inthe mid 1800’s.

I Wrote many books on math and logic

I Loved to teach logic to people of all ages, including youngchildren

I Taught complicated ideas in a fun way (playing games,riddles, inventing funny poems and stories)

I Taught children logic [game theory, set theory] and howlanguage is used and constructed through stories andnonsense poems

Jabberwocky

Short Background on Lewis Carroll

I Real name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

I Lewis Carroll: Writer of Alice in Wonderland and Through theLooking Glass

I Profession:Actually a math professor at Oxford University inthe mid 1800’s.

I Wrote many books on math and logic

I Loved to teach logic to people of all ages, including youngchildren

I Taught complicated ideas in a fun way (playing games,riddles, inventing funny poems and stories)

I Taught children logic [game theory, set theory] and howlanguage is used and constructed through stories andnonsense poems

Jabberwocky

Short Background on Lewis Carroll

I Real name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

I Lewis Carroll: Writer of Alice in Wonderland and Through theLooking Glass

I Profession:Actually a math professor at Oxford University inthe mid 1800’s.

I Wrote many books on math and logic

I Loved to teach logic to people of all ages, including youngchildren

I Taught complicated ideas in a fun way (playing games,riddles, inventing funny poems and stories)

I Taught children logic [game theory, set theory] and howlanguage is used and constructed through stories andnonsense poems

Jabberwocky

Short Background on Lewis Carroll

I Real name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

I Lewis Carroll: Writer of Alice in Wonderland and Through theLooking Glass

I Profession:Actually a math professor at Oxford University inthe mid 1800’s.

I Wrote many books on math and logic

I Loved to teach logic to people of all ages, including youngchildren

I Taught complicated ideas in a fun way (playing games,riddles, inventing funny poems and stories)

I Taught children logic [game theory, set theory] and howlanguage is used and constructed through stories andnonsense poems

Jabberwocky

Sense vs. Nonsense

I One of the ways we make sense of things by matching causeand effect

I I was very hungry last night ...

I A shopping list having purple bananas would seem nonsensical

I Square root of Tuesday

Jabberwocky

Sense vs. Nonsense

I One of the ways we make sense of things by matching causeand effect

I I was very hungry last night ...

I A shopping list having purple bananas would seem nonsensical

I Square root of Tuesday

Jabberwocky

Sense vs. Nonsense

I One of the ways we make sense of things by matching causeand effect

I I was very hungry last night ...

I A shopping list having purple bananas would seem nonsensical

I Square root of Tuesday

Jabberwocky

Sense vs. Nonsense

I One of the ways we make sense of things by matching causeand effect

I I was very hungry last night ...

I A shopping list having purple bananas would seem nonsensical

I Square root of Tuesday

Jabberwocky

Poetic/Figurative Language

I We also look for meaning, even if it isn’t always so

I If the poet says: Her hair was gold and her smile melted myheart

I Hair made of metal? Her smile brings about a fatal heartattack?

I Her hair is shiny and yellow; Her smile makes the poet feelemotional and warm

Jabberwocky

Poetic/Figurative Language

I We also look for meaning, even if it isn’t always so

I If the poet says: Her hair was gold and her smile melted myheart

I Hair made of metal? Her smile brings about a fatal heartattack?

I Her hair is shiny and yellow; Her smile makes the poet feelemotional and warm

Jabberwocky

Poetic/Figurative Language

I We also look for meaning, even if it isn’t always so

I If the poet says: Her hair was gold and her smile melted myheart

I Hair made of metal? Her smile brings about a fatal heartattack?

I Her hair is shiny and yellow; Her smile makes the poet feelemotional and warm

Jabberwocky

Poetic/Figurative Language

I We also look for meaning, even if it isn’t always so

I If the poet says: Her hair was gold and her smile melted myheart

I Hair made of metal? Her smile brings about a fatal heartattack?

I Her hair is shiny and yellow; Her smile makes the poet feelemotional and warm

Jabberwocky

Creating Words

What are the strategies that Carroll uses?

1. Word combinations

2. Using a common word and changing it

3. Riddles

Jabberwocky

Creating Words

What are the strategies that Carroll uses?

1. Word combinations

2. Using a common word and changing it

3. Riddles

Jabberwocky

Creating Words

What are the strategies that Carroll uses?

1. Word combinations

2. Using a common word and changing it

3. Riddles

Jabberwocky

Creating Words

What are the strategies that Carroll uses?

1. Word combinations

2. Using a common word and changing it

3. Riddles

Jabberwocky

Cognitive Aspects

1. fMRI study (Friederici, Meyer, and Cramon 2000)

2. ERP study (Hahne and Jescheniak 2001)

Jabberwocky

Friederici, Meyer, and Cramon 2000

Are different regions of the brain activated during auditorycomprehension of:

1. Normal vs. Syntactic/Jabberwocky speech (real functionwords and pseudo content words)?

2. Real content words vs. Pseudo content words

Auditory Language Comprehension: An Event-Related fMRI Studyon the Processing of Syntactic and Lexical Information

Jabberwocky

Friederici, Meyer, and Cramon 2000

Are different regions of the brain activated during auditorycomprehension of:

1. Normal vs. Syntactic/Jabberwocky speech (real functionwords and pseudo content words)?

2. Real content words vs. Pseudo content words

Auditory Language Comprehension: An Event-Related fMRI Studyon the Processing of Syntactic and Lexical Information

Jabberwocky

Friederici, Meyer, and Cramon 2000

Are different regions of the brain activated during auditorycomprehension of:

1. Normal vs. Syntactic/Jabberwocky speech (real functionwords and pseudo content words)?

2. Real content words vs. Pseudo content words

Auditory Language Comprehension: An Event-Related fMRI Studyon the Processing of Syntactic and Lexical Information

Jabberwocky

Friederici, Meyer, and Cramon 2000

Are different regions of the brain activated during auditorycomprehension of:

1. Normal vs. Syntactic/Jabberwocky speech (real functionwords and pseudo content words)?

2. Real content words vs. Pseudo content words

Auditory Language Comprehension: An Event-Related fMRI Studyon the Processing of Syntactic and Lexical Information

Jabberwocky

Functional Magnetic Eesonance Imaging (fMRI)

I Measures brain activity by detecting associated changes inblood flow

I Cerebral blood flow and neuronal activation are coupled

I Primary form of fMRI uses the Blood-oxygen-level dependent(BOLD) contrast (Seiji Ogawa)

Jabberwocky

Functional Magnetic Eesonance Imaging (fMRI)

I Measures brain activity by detecting associated changes inblood flow

I Cerebral blood flow and neuronal activation are coupled

I Primary form of fMRI uses the Blood-oxygen-level dependent(BOLD) contrast (Seiji Ogawa)

Jabberwocky

Functional Magnetic Eesonance Imaging (fMRI)

I Measures brain activity by detecting associated changes inblood flow

I Cerebral blood flow and neuronal activation are coupled

I Primary form of fMRI uses the Blood-oxygen-level dependent(BOLD) contrast (Seiji Ogawa)

Jabberwocky

BOLD fMRI

Figure: Courtesy: Hannah Devlin

Jabberwocky

I Oxygen is delivered to neurons by hemoglobin in capillary redblood cells

I Increased neuronal activity results in increased Oxygendemand (thus increased blood flow)

I Hemoglobin is diamagnetic when oxygenated; Paramagneticwhen deoxygenated

I Leads to small differences in the MR signal of blooddepending on the degree of oxygenation

Jabberwocky

I Oxygen is delivered to neurons by hemoglobin in capillary redblood cells

I Increased neuronal activity results in increased Oxygendemand (thus increased blood flow)

I Hemoglobin is diamagnetic when oxygenated; Paramagneticwhen deoxygenated

I Leads to small differences in the MR signal of blooddepending on the degree of oxygenation

Jabberwocky

I Oxygen is delivered to neurons by hemoglobin in capillary redblood cells

I Increased neuronal activity results in increased Oxygendemand (thus increased blood flow)

I Hemoglobin is diamagnetic when oxygenated; Paramagneticwhen deoxygenated

I Leads to small differences in the MR signal of blooddepending on the degree of oxygenation

Jabberwocky

I Oxygen is delivered to neurons by hemoglobin in capillary redblood cells

I Increased neuronal activity results in increased Oxygendemand (thus increased blood flow)

I Hemoglobin is diamagnetic when oxygenated; Paramagneticwhen deoxygenated

I Leads to small differences in the MR signal of blooddepending on the degree of oxygenation

Jabberwocky

Stimuli

Jabberwocky

fMRI Activation Patterns

Figure: Activation in left hemisphere (activation of the deep left frontaloperculum in Jabberwocky speech encircled); (A) Normal speech; (B)Jabberwocky speech

Jabberwocky

Stimuli-wise Activation in Temporal and Frontal Lobes

Figure: Top and botton left: Temporal lobe; Top and bottom right:Frontal lobe

Jabberwocky

Conclusion

Additional computational resources of left inferior frontal cortexare recruited to process Jabberwocky speech

Jabberwocky