Language and

the Brain

Language areas in the brainThe most important parts are in

areas above the left ear

NeurolingusticsThe study of the relationship between

language and the brainStudies the physical structure of the brain as

it relates to language production and comprehension.

• M Mr. Gage suffered the type of injury from which, it was assumed, no one could recover.

• However, a month later, he was up and about, with no apparent damage to his senses or speech r. Gage suffered the type of injury from which, it was assumed, no one could recover.

• Ha month later, he was up and about, with no apparent damage to his senses or speech.

A construction foreman, Phineas P. Gage was at work, some gunpowder accidentally exploded and sent a three and a half foot long tamping rod up through his upper left cheek and out from the top of his forehead.

This medical marvel clearly denotes that while language may be situated in the brain, it clearly is not situated right at the front.

• This medical marvel clearly denotes that while

• language may be situated in the brain, it clearly This medical marvel clearly denotes that while language may be situated in the brain, it clearly is not situated right at the front. It is not situated right at the front.

Broca’s area

A region of the brain with functions linked to speech productionPaul Broca,a French surgeon,reported in the

1860s that damage to this specific part of the brain was related to extreme difficulty in producing speech

Wernicke’s area It is involved in the understanding of

written and spoken languageCarl Wernicke was a German doctor who,in

the 1870s,reported that damage to this part of the brain was found among patients who had speech comprehension difficulties

The motor cortexAn area that generally controls

movement of the muscles

Arcuate fasciculusA bundle of nerve fibers that

connects the temporal and parietal lobes of the brain

It connects Wernicke's area to Broca's area

The localization viewIt is tempting to conclude that

specific aspects of language ability can be accorded specific locations in the brain

Tip of the Tongue Phenomenon• Tip of the tongue phenomenon is the subjective

feeling that people have of being confident that they know the target word for which they are searching, yet they cannot recall this word.

• They are somewhat able to recall words of similar sounds and meaning, but never the actual word they are seeking. 

 • TOT is an experience with memory recollection

involving difficulty retrieving a well-known word or familiar name. Tip of the tongue phenomenon is one kind of metacognition.

Slips of the tongueSlips of the tongue are errors

involving the uttering or hearing or writing or reading of a word and which entail an involuntary parody of the word, assuming the word is known.

The tip of the tongue phenomenonThe failure to retrieve a word

from memory, combined with partial recall and the feeling that retrieval is imminent

We know the word but it just won’t come to the surface

Slips of the tongue• Metacognition is the knowledge and thoughts

about one's own cognitive processes, as well as control of those cognitive processes. 

• Another term related to this phenomenon is the feeling of knowing, which is the prediction about whether you could correctly recognize the correct answer to a question. 

• This effect is more conscious meaning one thoughtfully assesses whether one could recognize the answer if one was given several options.

• Slips of the tongue are speech errors in which intended utterances are rearranged between other words or sounds.

• There are three types of slip-of-the-tongue errors.

• These types include sound errors, morpheme errors, and word errors.

• A sound error occurs when the sounds in words close by are exchanged.

• For example, instead of saying "flower pot," one says "power flot." A morpheme error occurs when morphemes, which are the smallest meaningful units in language, are switched in words close by.

Slips of the earAn error of misunderstanding in listening:

mistaking a word or phrase for a similar-sounding word or phrase in speech or conservation.

• An error of misperception in listening : mistaking a word or phrase for a similar-sounding word or phrase in speech or conversation.

• Slips of the ear provide researchers with insights into the ways in which words are recognized in connected speech.

AphasiaIt is the disturbance in

formulation and comprehension of language

This class of language disorder ranges from having difficulty remembering words to being completely unable to speak, read, or write

Aphasia is usually linked to brain damage, most commonly by stroke

Aphasia : Aphasia from ancient Greek "speechlessness“ is the disturbance in formulation and comprehension of language

Broca's aphasiaInability to speak, or to produce

spontaneous speech, as a result of an injury to the area of the brain that produces language. This area is known as Broca's area. Although people with Broca's aphasia cannot speak, they can understand others

Also Known As: Motor Aphasia

Wernicke's aphasiaWernicke's aphasia is a language

disorder that impacts language comprehension and the production of meaningful language. The disorder is related to damage to the Wernicke's area. Individuals with Wernicke's aphasia have difficulty understanding spoken language but are able to produce sounds, phrases, and word sequences.

Conduction aphasiaA form of aphasia in which

there is ability to speak and write but words are skipped,repeated, or substituted for one another

Also called associative aphasia

Signs and symptoms• inability to comprehend language• inability to pronounce, not due to muscle

paralysis or weakness• inability to speak spontaneously• inability to form words• inability to name objects• poor enunciation• excessive creation and use of personal 

neologisms• inability to repeat a phrase• persistent repetition of phrases

• incomplete sentences• inability to read• inability to write• limited verbal output• difficulty in naming• Speech disorder

ACUTE APHASIA This aphasia type is chronic one. Acute aphasia disorders usually develop

quickly as a result of head injury or stroke, and progressive forms of aphasia develop slowly from a brain tumor, infection, or dementia.

Types of aphasia Expressive Aphasia: Expressive

Aphasia (non-fluent aphasia), is characterized by the loss of the ability to produce language (spoken or written). 

Expressive aphasia differs from dysarthria,

which is typified by a patient's inability to properly move the muscles of the tongue and mouth to produce speech. Expressive aphasia contrasts with receptive aphasia.

2. Receptive Aphasia, also known as Wernicke’s aphasia, fluent aphasia, or sensory aphasia, is a type of aphasia traditionally associated with neurological damage to Wernicke’s area in the brain.

People with receptive aphasia can speak with

normal grammar, syntax, rate, intonation, and stress, but they are unable to understand language in its written or spoken form.

3. Conduction Aphasia: Conduction aphasia, also called associative aphasia, is a relatively rare form of aphasia. An acquired language disorder, it is characterized by intact auditory comprehension, fluent (yet paraphasic) speech production, but poor speech repetition.

They are fully capable of understanding what they are hearing but they will have difficulty repeating what was actually said.

They will also be aware of their errors, and will show significant difficulty correcting them.

Conduction aphasia usually is the result of

damage to the left brain hemisphere, such as by stroke.

4.Anomic Aphasia, also known as dysnomia, nominal aphasia, and amnesic aphasia; is a severe problem with recalling words or names.

Anomic aphasia (anomia) is a type of aphasia characterized by problems recalling words or names.

 patients are able to speak with correct grammar;

the main problem is finding the appropriate word to identify an object or person.

5.Global Aphasia: Global aphasia is total reduction of all aspects of spoken and written language.

It involves a "left side blowout" which

includes Broca's area, Wernicke's area and the Arcuate fasciculus.

6.Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA): A speech disorder seen with certain degenerative brain diseases, consisting of deterioration of speech and language ability over a period of years without significant loss of memory or ability to understand language.

TREATMENT OF APHASIA• Sometimes, people who have aphasia can be

treated in hospital.

• This disease is treated by a speech therapist.

• In this process , therapists teach patients basic information like a child.

Dichotic listening test• Dichotic Listening is a psychological test

commonly used to investigate selective attention within the 

auditory system and is a subtopic of cognitive psychology and neuroscience. 

In other words, Dichotic listening is a situation in which people hear different kind of sounds from each ear.

Dichotic listeningAn exprimental technique that

has demonstrated a left hemisphere domiance for syllable and word processing.

The critical period

The critical period

In general, a critical period is a limited time in which an event can occur, usually to result in some kind of transformation.

It is compulsory for the development of a particular skill.

If the organism does not receive the appropriate stimulus during this "critical period", it may be difficult, ultimately less successful, or even impossible, to develop some functions later in life.

In general, a critical period is a limited time in which an event can occur, usually to result in some kind of transformation.

It is compulsory for the development of a particular skill.

If the organism does not receive the appropriate stimulus during this "critical period", it may be difficult, ultimately less successful, or even impossible, to develop some functions later in life.

This is fundamentally different than the sensitive period, which is a more extended period of time during development when an individual is more receptive to specific types of environmental stimuli, usually because nervous system development is especially sensitive to certain sensory stimuli. This makes the individual more predisposed to learning.

• The critical period for the development of a human child's binocular vision is thought to be between three and eight months, with sensitivity to damage extending up to at least three years of age.

• Further critical periods have been identified for the development of hearing and the vestibular system.

Lateralization (One Sidedness) A person uses his left hemisphere for

language in a particular period in his life. This is described as Lateralization or One

sidedness. If a person does not expose his language in this period, he will not acquire that language. Even if that person tries to learn his language later, he cannot learn this language very well.

Genie

Genie Genie was discovered in 1970 at

the age of thirteen and seven months in a Los Angeles suburb.

She was confined up until that point by her controlling father, who abused her regularly.

Because she had not acquired language up until that point, linguists used her to test the critical period theory.

WHEN GENIE WAS FOUND When Genie was first found, they

couldn’t tell at first whether or not she had already acquired language and simply wasn’t using it or if she indeed had not acquired language.

Because she did not respond to simple commands but did respond to words that were clearly out of the context of their environment, it was determined that Genie truly had not yet acquired language.

FIRST WORDS Genie’s first basic ‘words’ were

monosyllabic consonant-vowel sequences.

After five months, she began to use single words spontaneously.

Her early vocabulary was different from the first words of regular children which are typically nouns, plus particles like up and down.

INITIAL OBSERVATIONS ABOUT GENIE When she was first discovered,

most of the sounds that came out of her mouth were voiceless.

Normal people learn very early in life how to speak and breathe at the same time. Genie, however, never learned how to do so.

THANK YOU…