Questions on Language Flashcards
What are the components of language?
[Phonemes: any of the perceptually distinct units of sound in a specified language that distinguish one word from another, for example p, b, d, and t in the English words pad, pat, bad, and bat. Lexicon: vocabulary, sets of words made of syllables that signify meaning. Grammar: set of structural rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. Syntax: the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. Prosody: the patterns of stress and intonation in a language.]
What is dysarthria?
[Difficult or unclear articulation of speech that is otherwise linguistically normal. This is a pure motor problem that can occur separate from a language disorder (aphasia), but is often comorbid with aphasia.]
What are some of the specialized abilities associated with the right hemisphere?
[1) cortical mapping of ‘feeling state’ such as bodily sensations linked to emotions; 2) Processes the information of where one’s body is in space (proprioception); 3) For language, the right hemisphere is sensitive to hearing speech intonation and is important for meaningfully expressive speech intonation; 4) It helps us to appreciate the context of verbal information such as decoding the emotional content of language and reading the body language of those with whom we communicate; 5) It allows us to enjoy a good joke and to comprehend multiple meanings of communication so we are not stuck only with the literal meaning]
Which hemisphere is specialized for language processing and expression?
[The left hemisphere]
What are the two primary brain regions associated with speech and language?
[Broca’s area (BA 44 pars opercularis, 45 pars triangularis) is associated with language expression. Wernicke’s area (BA 22, 39 angular gyrus, 40 supremarginal gyrus) is associated with language comprehension.]
A 72 year old man with a history of hypertension and diabetes was brought to the emergency room with sudden onset of being unable to speak except in individual words. He appears to understand what is being said to him and follows simple directions such as ‘close your eyes’. MRI reveals a lesion in the cerebral cortex. What area is most likely impacted by this lesion?
[Most likely it involves Broca’s area as the patient is non-fluent, but has preserved comprehension.]
What is the name of the large white matter fiber bundle that allows bidirectional communication between the receptive and expressive speech areas?
[Arcuate fasciculus]
Area SPT is involved in what left hemisphere skills?
[SPT has sensory-motor response properties, activating both during the auditory perception and covert production of speech, and is responsive to speech stimulation, although it is not critical for speech recognition.]
Damage localized to the arcuate fasciculus is most likely to cause which type of aphasia?
[Conduction aphasia.]
Damage localized to Area 22 is most likely to cause which type of aphasia?
[Wernicke’s, fluent or receptive aphasia.]
Language dominance is localized to the left hemisphere in all adults?
[ False. It is seated in the left hemisphere of about 98% of right handers and in about 70% of left handers.]
Wernicke’s area is associated with language comprehension for most everything except?
[Broca’s area is associated with language comprehension for action verbs and some complex grammatical structure.]
Damage to Broca’s area is associated with all of the following [Agrammatical speech, telegraphic speech, fluent speech, use of profane words, frustration, largely intact comprehension] , except?
Fluent speech – false, damage to Broca’s is associated with non-fluent speech.]
Damage to Wernicke’s area is associated with all of the following [Fluent speech, intact grammar, intact syntax, precise vocabulary, impaired comprehension. Precise vocabulary], except?
Precise vocabulary - false as the speaker has frequent interjections of paraphasic errors (mispronunciation of words, unintended syllables, words, or phrases) and neologisms (made up words).]
A patient presents to the Emergency Room with sudden onset of difficulty speaking. She can utter a few words at a time if they commonly occur together (e.g. I feel fine, how are you), but she cannot produce full sentences. A MRI scan shows a lesion in the left frontal watershed area. She follows directions and can repeat after the examiner. What type of aphasia is she likely experiencing?
[Transcortical motor aphasia: poor fluency and naming, intact comprehension and repetition]
