Language and the brain

• The left hemisphere is responsible for language processing, while the right hemisphere processes non-verbal information.
• neurolinguistics - The study of the relationship between language and the brain
• the critical period hypothesis à lateralization of the brain is complete by the time a child reaches the age of puberty (12-13),
• Both of them are connected by a bundle of nerves called the corpus callosum à transmitting information
• Aphasia - loss of ability to communicate due to damage to specific areas of the brain that control language functions
• Broca's area - located at the front part of the left hemisphere, it controls speech production and motor skills involved in speaking
• Wernicke's area - located at the back part of the left hemisphere, it controls comprehension of spoken or written words
• Conclusion: language functions are definitely not located in the front part of the brain
• The localization view: the belief that specific language functions can be traced back to specific parts of the brain so we can hear a word, comprehend it and then say it
• There are four components of the brain considered to relate to language function: Broca’s area,Wernicke’s area, the arcuate fasciculus, the motor cortex
• The motor cortex: controls movement of the muscles
• the arcuate fasciculus: —a group of nerve fibres between broca’s area and wernicke’s areaTask: connecting the two areas, language processing
• —damage to the arcuate fasciculus à problems with transferring information (language input) between Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area 
• Speech errors: —tip of the tongue phenomenon—slip of the tongue—slip of the ear
• The tip of the tongue phenomenon: we feel that the word we want to utter is ‘almost here’
• The tip of the tongue phenomenon: malapropisms, Freudian slips
• the tip of the tongue: transcendental medication (instead of

  “meditation”).
• —slip of the tongue – a switch/reversal of (usually initial) sounds in two words in a phrase (e.g. to shake a tower in lieu of to take a shower) or two whole words in a phrase (e.g. to gap a bridge in lieu of to bridge a gap)
• slip of the tongue: spoonerisms (Reverend Spooner, an English clergyman), tips of the slung
• slip of the tongue: make a long shory stort (instead of “make a long story
• Slips of the ear: more of a misunderstanding à sounds are heard and identified, but we organize them in a different way à different meanings
• slips of the ear: Intended meaning: Please bring me a grey tape

  What was heard: Please bring me a great ape

  —Children’s speech / language learners
• Aphasia studies causes: strokes, accidents
• Broca’s aphasia = result of damage to Broca’s area
• Wernicke’s aphasia = result of damage to Wernicke’s area
• Conduction aphasia = result of damage to both
• Broca’s aphasia: —motor aphasia
• —slow, laboured, effortful speech, —agrammatical speech, —most aphasics are painfully aware of their condition - Broca's aphasia
• Wernicke’s aphasia: speech is fluent but incoherent, —repetitions, anomia, —initially, patients seem not to be aware of their condition
• anomia – difficulty finding names, coping strategy: defitnitions
• Conduction aphasia: —speech is fluent, but there are interruptions (pauses, hesitations), —problems with repeating a word after another person, —articulation is fine despite occasional mispronunciation
• Aphasia - possible prognoses: speech therapy, singing therapy
• Split-brain patients: studies made on patients who have had their two hemipsheres separated surgically (their corpus callosum was cut) due to epileptic seizures
• Split-brain patients: —patients are e.g. shown pictures visible to their left eye and asked to name the objects they see à they say that they e.g. forgot the name of the object, but are able to draw it with their left hand, fabricating stories that justify the lack of communication between the hemispheres
• Agnosognosia: —patients suffering from this disorder are not aware of the physical diseases that they have and make up stories instead of admitting that they are ill
• Korsakoff’s syndrome: short-term amnesia,
• —fabricating stories that replace most recent memories and believing in them to avoid, or save themselves, possible embarrassment or confusion - Korsakoff’s syndrome
• Capgras’s delusion: —The main symptom: the belief that one’s nearest and dearest have been abducted and replaced by imposters
• dichotic listening test: An experimental technique that has demonstrated a left hemisphere dominance for

  syllable and word processing
• right ear advantage for: When

  asked to say what was heard, the subject more often correctly identifies the sound that came via the right ear