Under neuroanatomical perspectives, language functions are mostly referred to various cortical areas. These regions can be conceived as carriers of fractional linguistic information, for example, word phonetics or corresponding semantic concepts, which are co-activated in changing constellations according to the ongoing linguistic demand [1]. For this flexible network orchestration, central brain structures appear of particular relevance. This view is, among others, inspired by the observation of deficits in patients with well-defined subcortical pathologies and clinical impairments, allowing for conclusions about functions of disease-affected structures. Beyond inferences from brain lesions, therapeutic interventions can provide insights into physiological and neuroanatomical underpinnings of cognitive behaviors. In this regard, deep-brain stimulation (DBS) holds a particular position. As a therapeutic method with spatiotemporally circumscribed basal ganglia and thalamic actions, behavior can be investigated as a function of the ongoing functional state of the DBS target region, for example, as the contrast of task-related performances under active versus inactivated DBS. A further research approach capitalizes on the rare occasion to record electroencephalographic (EEG) activities directly from the subcortical DBS implants, opening views on otherwise hardly accessible brain networks with respect to their function and working modes. For example, continuous depth EEG informs about the synchronization of neuronal population activity via modulations of the signal power in particular frequency bands as a mechanism of signal transmission. Further, event-related potentials (ERP), that is, the aggregate response of neurons to a defined occurrence, can reveal the functional embedding of structures within the recording region in the ongoing task context. Finally, combinations of recordings form DBS electrodes and surface EEG allow for insights into the interplay between cortical and central brain structures (see Figure 1). Altogether, DBS implies particular opportunities to study subcortical contributions to cognition and test theoretical positions in this field. In the following, investigations conducted in patient groups receiving DBS treatment with respect to basal ganglia and thalamic roles in language processing shall shortly be summarized.