We present a neural network model of learning and processing the English past tense that is based on the notion that experience-dependent cortical development is a core aspect of cognitive development. During learning the model adds and removes units and connections to develop a task-specific final architecture. The model provides an integrated…

This paper argues that some of the patterns seen in aphasia may reflect difficulties in the cognitive preparations for language. In particular, some individuals might be unable to carry out processes of "Thinking for Speaking" (Slobin 1996), which frame thoughts for language production. Evidence to support this proposal is presented, together with…

We reanalyzed the data in Drai and Grodzinksy (2005), considering individual patients' responses to different sentence types to be non-independent events. The analyses revealed effects of two of the three factors identified by Drai and Grodzinsky-constituent movement and passive mood. The result is inconsistent with the trace deletion hypothesis;…

Background: This paper considers some economic aspects of a therapy and support service for people with stroke and aphasia. This material was part of a broader evaluation of the service, which is reported elsewhere (van der Gaag et al. 2005, van der Gaag and Mowles 2005). Aims: The purpose of this part of the study was to investigate the…

Describes how Random Boolean Networks can be used to simulate simple lexicons, and shows how some puzzling properties of real lexicons seem to emerge spontaneously in these models. Describes simple simulations of bilingual aphasia, and shows that a range of recovery patterns can be observed in these simulations. (Author/VWL)

Cognitive neuropsychological studies of bilingual patients with aphasia have contributed to our understanding of how the brain processes different languages. The question we asked is whether differences in script have any impact on language processing in bilingual aphasic patients who speak languages with different writing systems: Chinese and…

B. Rapp and M. Goldrick (2000) claimed that the lexical and mixed error biases in picture naming by aphasic and nonaphasic speakers argue against models that assume a feedforward-only relationship between lexical items and their sounds in spoken word production. The author contests this claim by showing that a feedforward-only model like WEAVER++…

Briefly outlines progress in neurolinguistics including Broca's aphasia, multilingual aphasiacs, lateralization, and localization as possible explanations for problem of adult foreign language accent. (BK)

This is my daughter's story, although the voice is mine. Heather is an adult whose life is complicated by congenital blindness, cognitive impairment, epilepsy, and expressive aphasia. Typically, communication between Heather and others is a two-way challenge: At each step, everyone involved must perceive, interpret, and confirm understanding. An…

Karlik and Karlik provide a personal account of loss of literacy after a stroke and the laborious process of recovering it. Parr shows how she adapted diagnostic tools from literacy research to use with adults with aphasia. (SK)

Discusses the difficulties in diagnosing phonetic and phonemic disorders in aphasics. (AM)

This article describes a plan to develop bilingualism carried out by the parents of a child of pre-school age who died of brain cancer at the age of five. The child learned German, the language of his father, and Spanish, the language of his mother, consecutively. (CFM)

Discusses the urgency of therapeutic appraisal tests for various types of aphasia in India, where the clinical population comes from multilingual, multiethnic, and multicultural backgrounds; has a low literacy level; and hails from various geographical regions. The need for good diagnostic tests is imperative for a detailed evaluation of language…

In this paper, we reconsider some of the processes that distinguish production and comprehension. In particular, we discuss the specific forms of thinking involved in each: "thinking for speaking" and "thinking for listening" (Black and Chiat, 2000; Slobin, 1996). We argue that thinking for speaking (or for any form of language output) crucially…

Focuses on generic discourse practices by tracing the persuasive heterogeneity and the distributed nature of discourse genres in use. Three examples from research are explored: a father and his two daughters playing a family-created verbal game; a family's engagement with their 2-year-old's creative retellings of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit"; and a…