ABSTRACT
The study of the neural basis of language has a long history and a rich body of recent work that leverages modern neuroscientific methods. Starting from historical foundations, here we provide an introductory review of the recent progress in understanding the neural basis of some of the major aspects of the language system. After introducing aphasias, we sketch the main components of semantics, speech perception and production, sentence comprehension and production, as well as reading and writing systems of the brain, relying primarily on evidence from neuroimaging and lesion studies. This work highlights both the striking progress that has been made in understanding the brain bases of language, and the many outstanding issues.
