This study examined the role of empathy in the choice of syntactic form and the degree of independence of pragmatic and syntactic abilities in a range of aphasic patients. Study 1 involved 9 English-speaking and 9 Japanese-speaking aphasic subjects with 10 English-speaking and 4 Japanese normal controls. Study 2 involved 14 English- and 6 Japanese-speaking aphasics and 9 English- and 1 Japanese-speaking normal controls. The task of Study 1 was to narrate cartoon sequences involving interactions between animate and inanimate entities. In Study 2, single-frame cartoons were described that systematically varied the animacy of the undergoer. Multi-frame narratives were compared across subjects on a frame-by-frame/proposition-by-proposition basis. Study 1 results indicated that causal efficacy and movement were additional factors in the choice of an inanimate as subject/topic. In Study 2, the distribution of overt empathic focus markings showed an empathy gradient for aphasics and normals alike. Findings indicated that aphasics and normals preferred to begin sentences by mentioning or referring to the empathic focus first. (Contains 18 references.) (Author)