Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

Models of the neurobiology of language often rely on correlative neuroimaging techniques and ambiguous terminology derived from linguistic theory (e.g., 'semantics') rather than regions' functional profiles. The brain's cytoarchitecture and the capacity to functionally affect cognition via neurostimulation imply greater precision may be possible. We systematically reviewed 221 of tES, TMS, and DES papers modulating linguistic processes and qualitatively analysed by-paper outcomes to infer the specific subprocess actually modulated, which we term an element. We uncover 608 distinct elements of the neurobiology of language from 22 different languages and nearly 6,300 participants. These elements apply over a 7-level hierarchy of process specificity, help to redefine the operable terms of language neuroscience, and enable generalised functional characterisation of key nodes of the language network. The model is available for scientific use via an online database (https://www.language-elements.org/) and has clinical applications for planning awake craniotomies with neuro-oncology patients.