Actions have been proposed to follow hierarchical principles similar to those hypothesized for language syntax. These structural similarities are claimed to be reflected in the common involvement of certain neural populations of Broca’s area, in the Inferior Frontal Gyrus (IFG). In this position paper, we follow an influential hypothesis in linguistic theory to introduce the syntactic operation Merge and the corresponding motor/conceptual interfaces. We argue that actions hierarchies do not follow the same principles ruling language syntax. We propose that hierarchy in the action domain lies in predictive processing mechanisms mapping sensory inputs and statistical regularities of action-goal relationships. At the cortical level, distinct Broca’s subregions appear to support different types of computations across the two domains. We argue that anterior BA44 is a major hub for the implementation of the syntactic operation Merge. On the other hand, posterior BA44 is recruited in selecting premotor mental representations based on the information provided by contextual signals. This functional distinction is corroborated by a recent meta-analysis (Papitto, Friederici, & Zaccarella, 2020). We conclude by suggesting that action and language can meet only where the interfaces transfer abstract computations either to the external world or to the internal mental world.

已经提出了遵循类似于针对语言语法所假设的那些原则的分级原则的动作。据称这些结构上的相似性反映在下额回（IFG）下布罗卡地区某些神经种群的共同参与中。在本立场文件中，我们遵循语言理论中的一个有影响力的假设，以介绍句法运算“合并”和相应的运动/概念界面。我们认为动作层次结构不遵循统治语言语法的相同原则。我们建议在行动领域的层次结构在于预测处理机制，该机制映射了感官输入和行动目标关系的统计规律。在皮质层次上，不同的Broca子区域似乎支持跨两个域的不同类型的计算。我们认为前BA44是执行语法合并操作的主要枢纽。另一方面，基于上下文信号提供的信息，招募后BA44来选择运动前心理表征。最近的荟萃分析证实了这种功能上的区别（Papitto，Friederici和Zaccarella，2020年）。我们的结论是建议行动和语言只能在接口将抽象计算传递到外部世界或内部心理世界的地方相遇。Friederici和Zaccarella，2020年）。我们的结论是建议行动和语言只能在接口将抽象计算传递到外部世界或内部心理世界的地方相遇。Friederici和Zaccarella，2020年）。我们的结论是建议行动和语言只能在接口将抽象计算传递到外部世界或内部心理世界的地方相遇。