Linguistic theory and language pathology : evidence for the morphology interface from a case of acquired language disorder
This thesis is a consideration of the insights into acquired language disorder which can be obtained via recent developments in generative grammar, a syntactic framework which investigates how language might be acquired, how it is represented in the mind/brain, and (indirectly) how it might break down following trauma to the brain. The case of MC, an aphasic patient, is presented in detail, and an account of his language difficulties is proposed. MC is very impaired at the production of functional categories and morphologically complex substantives in isolation, whereas he has relatively good understanding of such items, and is able to use them more appropriately in connected speech or reading of texts rather than single words. It is hypothesised that he demonstrates the effects of a deficit at the level of an isolable component of the language faculty which deals solely with morphological processing. A deficit at this level results in failure to assign realisations to functional categories (unless they are in a sentential context, in which case their representation is supported by the syntactic component), accompanied by errors of derivational and inflectional affixation, but relatively intact comprehension
Froud, Karen Elizabeth
Linguistic theory and language pathology : evidence for the morphology interface from a case of acquired language disorder. This thesis is a consideration of the insights into acquired language disorder which can be obtained via recent developments in generative grammar, a syntactic framework which investigates how language might be acquired, how it is represented in the mind/brain, and (indirectly) how it might break down following trauma to the brain. The case of MC, an aphasic patient, is presented in detail, and an account of his language difficulties is proposed. MC is very impaired at the production of functional categories and morphologically complex substantives in isolation, whereas he has relatively good understanding of such items, and is able to use them more appropriately in connected speech or reading of texts rather than single words. It is hypothesised that he demonstrates the effects of a deficit at the level of an isolable component of the language faculty which deals solely with morphological processing. A deficit at this level results in failure to assign realisations to functional categories (unless they are in a sentential context, in which case their representation is supported by the syntactic component), accompanied by errors of derivational and inflectional affixation, but relatively intact comprehension
linguistic_theory language pathology evidence morphology interface case acquire_language disorder consideration insight acquire_language disorder obtain via recent_development generative_grammar syntactic framework investigates language might acquire represent mind_brain indirectly might break follow trauma brain case aphasic patient present_detail account language difficulty propose impaired production functional_category morphologically complex substantive isolation whereas relatively good item able use appropriately connect_speech reading_text rather single_word hypothesise demonstrates effect deficit level component language_faculty deal solely morphological processing deficit level failure assign realisation functional_category unless sentential context case representation support syntactic component accompanied error derivational inflectional affixation relatively intact comprehension