Grammar+and+Auditory+Closure

Despite claims regarding "universal grammars" and "deep structures," it is apparent that human beings speak in a decidedly non-grammatical manner with many pauses, repetitions, incomplete sentences, irrelevant words, and so on. This does not prevent comprehension since the structure of the nervous system enables us to perceptually alter word orders so they make sense, and even fill in words which are left out.

**Example:** when subjects heard a taped sentence in which a single syllable (gis) from the word "legislatures," had been deleted and filled in with static (i.e. le...latures), the missing syllable was not noticed. Rather, all subjects heard "legislatures"

The ability to engage in gap filling, sequencing, and to impose temporal order on incoming (supposedly grammatical speech) is important because human speech is not always fluent as many words are spoken in fragmentary form and sentences are usually four words or less. Much of it also consists of pauses and hesitations, "uh" or "err" sounds, stutters, repetitions, and stereotyped utterances, "you know," "like".

These signals must be rearranged in accordance with the temporal sequential rules imposed by the structure and interaction of Wernicke's area, the inferior parietal lobe and the nervous system so that they may be understood.

Consciously, however, most people fail to realize that this filling in and reorganization has even occurred, unless directly confronted by someone who claims that she said something she believes she didn't. Nevertheless, this filling in and process of reorganization greatly enhances comprehension and communication.