Neurophenomenology of the Linguistic Sign: Contribution of the Phenomenological Morphodynamics and Structuralist (PMS) Model to Understanding the Neural Mechanisms Underlying the Constitution of Meaning

This paper describes a research program in neurosemiotics. The main idea is to propose the N400 component of the Event-Related Potential (ERP) as an « empirical referee » between two paradigms aiming at understanding meaning constitution. The first one is the classic functionnalist paradigm of cognitive sciences that describes computations for lexical access. The second one gathers Saussure structuralism, Husserlian phenomenology and Thom and Petitot morphodynamics (phenomenology, morphodynamics and structuralism, PMS paradigm). PMS assumes the co-presence of signified and signifier (Saussure), and the various modalisations of verbal consciousness (Husserl) together within a dynamics model involving meaning attractors without lexical access. The N400 component is proposed to empirically challenge the PMS paradigm that can help solve some empirical abnormalities that cannot be explained by the cognitive paradigm of lexical access.