Production and perception of word tones (pitch accents) in patients with left and right hemisphere damage

The present paper addresses the question of the functional lateralization of tones in tone languages. Tonal perception and production of right-hemisphere-damaged (RHD) and left-hemisphere-damaged (LHD) speakers of East Norwegian were investigated. East Norwegian is a tone language with an opposition between two tones (pitch accents). The ability to distinguish auditorily between the two accents was normal in the RHD group but reduced in the LHD group. Tonal production was near normal in the RHD group, whereas the LHD group tended to have a production deficit.