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Language
Language is made up of socially shared rules that include the following:
• Semantics or meaning (e.g., “stern” can mean “severity of manner” or “the back of a boat”)
• How to make new words (e.g., friend, friendly, unfriendly)
• Grammar (e.g., “I walked to the new restaurant” rather than “walk I restaurant new”)
• Social context (e.g., “Could you please open the window?” versus “Hey, open the window now!”)
Speech
Speech is the verbal means of communicating. Speech consists of the following:
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When someone has trouble understanding other people (receptive language) or explaining thoughts, ideas and feelings (expressive
language), that is a language disorder.
When someone cannot produce speech sounds correctly or fluently or has voice problems, that is a speech disorder.
Anatomy of Language
There are several areas of the brain that play a critical role in speech and language.
• Broca’s area, located in the left hemisphere, is associated with speech production and articulation. Our ability to articulate ideas, as
well as use words accurately in spoken and written language, has been attributed to this crucial area.
• Wernicke’s area is a critical language area in the posterior superior temporal lobe connects to Broca’s area via a neural pathway.
Wernicke’s area is primarily involved in the comprehension. Historically, this area has been associated with language processing,
whether it is written or spoken.
• The angular gyrus allows us to associate multiple types of language-related information whether auditory, visual or sensory. It is
located in close proximity to other critical brain regions such as the parietal lobe which processes tactile sensation, the occipital lobe
which is involved in visual analyses and the temporal lobe which processes sounds. The angular gyrus allows us to associate a
perceived word with different images, sensations and ideas.
Global Aphasia
If damage encompasses both Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas, global aphasia can occur. In this case, all aspects of speech and
language are affected. Patients can say a few words at most and understand only a few words and phrases. They usually cannot
carry out commands or name objects. They cannot read or write or repeat words said to them.
Wernicke’s Aphasia
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Damage to the posterior superior areas of the language dominant temporal lobe (often called Wernicke’s area) has been shown to
significantly affect speech comprehension. In other words, information is heard through an intact auditory cortex in the anterior
temporal lobe, however, when it arrives at the posterior association areas, the information cannot be sufficiently “translated.” In
contrast to Broca’s aphasia, the person with Wernicke’s aphasia talks volubly and gestures freely. Speech is produced without effort,
and sentences are of normal length. However, the person’s speech is devoid of meaning.
The initial symptoms of semantic variant PPA often involve problems with finding the right words during conversation. Bilateral
deterioration of the temporal lobes (particularly anterior) leads to:
People with nonfluent variant PPA develop difficulties producing speech. They know what they want to say, but they have immense
trouble getting the words out of their mouths. The degeneration of cortex in the language-dominant areas of the frontal, parietal and
temporal lobes (including Broca’s area) leads to:
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Symptoms
Memory
Behavior
Executive Functions
Movement
Sleep
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