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Utilizing Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Improve Language Function in Stroke Patients with Chronic Non-fluent Aphasia
Published on: July 2, 2013
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Variation in language mixing in multilingual aphasia
Mira Goral1,2,3, Monica Norvik3,4,5, Bård Uri Jensen3,6
1Program in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, Graduate Center, City University of New York , NY , USA.
Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics
|March 7, 2019
Summary
Multilingual individuals with aphasia use language mixing as a communication strategy to overcome word-retrieval challenges. This practice helps bypass difficulties, with speakers generally avoiding inappropriate mixing.
Area of Science:
- Neurolinguistics
- Psycholinguistics
- Speech and Language Therapy
Background:
- Language mixing is common in multilinguals.
- Previously, language mixing in aphasia was linked to brain lesion deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if language mixing in multilingual aphasia serves as a communicative strategy.
- To investigate factors influencing language mixing behavior.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed connected language production from 11 individuals with aphasia.
- Coded words as mixed or not, tabulating frequencies per individual, language, and task.
- Tested predictions related to aphasia severity, language proficiency, task demands, and word type.
Main Results:
- Supported predictions that mixing increases with aphasia severity and lower post-stroke proficiency.
- Found increased mixing during tasks requiring restricted word retrieval.
- Observed that non-fluent aphasia speakers did not show increased mixing for function words.
Conclusions:
- Multilingual speakers with aphasia primarily use word mixing to bypass word-retrieval difficulties.
- Language mixing is largely a strategic tool, with speakers avoiding pragmatically inappropriate usage.
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