Language and the Brain

Psy315h - Class 24

(This page last updated 25 November, 2005.)
  

Some aspects of language function are localized to specific regions or cortex. In most people, these language areas are in the left hemisphere. The original evidence for this localization came from studies of patients with aphasia, or language deficits caused by brain damage.

• Broca's Aphasia
  • Relatively good comprehension but severely disrupted production
  • agrammatic &endash; strings of nouns and sometimes verbs
    • no function words (of, to, by)
    • no inflections (plural, past tense)
• Wernicke's Aphasia
  • Unable to comprehend speech.
  • Produce speech that is fluent but meaningless.
• Echolalia
  • Repeat speech without understanding.
• Anomia
  • Cannot name objects.
  • May be only certain classes of objects: concrete nouns, abstract nouns, inanimate objects, colors.
• Pure Word Deafness
  • Good hearing
  • Can speak, write, and read
  • Cannot understand speech

These different types of aphasia demonstrate not only that language is localized to specific brain regions, but that different aspects of language reside in different parts of the brain.

Relevant Website

• Language and the Brain

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Psych 315H: Cognitive Psychology Kyle Cave Psychology Dept. U. Mass.