The interaction between language and consciousness.

Language and consciousness interact in complex ways, with high-level semantic and sentence integration requiring conscious processing, while lower-level phonetic, phonological, and lexico-semantic processes can function without consciousness. Evidence from neuroimaging, cognitive, and neuropsychological studies shows parallel recovery trajectories between aspects of language and states of consciousness, and language processing may influence consciousness content or precede the reemergence of consciousness. Associations between language processing and higher-order conscious thought exist, but observed links may reflect broader integration disruptions rather than language-specific mechanisms. Theoretical implications and methodological challenges, especially regarding causal direction, are discussed.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The degree of interaction between language and consciousness is a theoretically significant yet poorly understood question. In this review, we examine neuroimaging, cognitive, and neuropsychological studies that address this issue by distinguishing between different aspects or dimensions of language and consciousness. The reviewed studies indicate that high-level semantic and sentence integration occur only in higher consciousness state and under conscious processing conditions, while lower-level phonetic, phonological or lexico-semantic processes appear to remain functional even in the absence of consciousness. We also highlight parallel recovery trajectories between aspects of language and states of consciousness, along with experimental and clinical evidence suggesting that language processing may, in some cases, influence consciousness content or even precede the reemergence of a consciousness state. Evidence of associations between language processing and higher-order conscious thought is further described. Finally, we discuss the theoretical implications and methodological challenges involved in studying and interpreting the interaction between language and consciousness, with particular attention to causal direction and to the possibility that observed associations reflect broader disruptions of integration rather than language-specific mechanisms only.