Intraword Timing Relations in Thai after Unilateral Brain Damage

• Published in: Brain and language Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 160 - 179
• Main Authors: Gandour, J., Dechongkit, S., Ponglorpisit, S., Khunadorn, F., Boongird, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01.08.1993; Elsevier; Academic Press
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Age Factors; Aphasia, Broca - complications; Aphasia, Broca - diagnosis; Aphasia, Broca - physiopathology; Aphasia, Wernicke - complications; Aphasia, Wernicke - diagnosis; Aphasia, Wernicke - physiopathology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - physiopathology; Brain Damage, Chronic - diagnosis; Brain Damage, Chronic - physiopathology; Brain Diseases - complications; Brain Diseases - physiopathology; Female; Functional Laterality; Humans; Language; Language and communication disorders; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Phonetics; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Speech Disorders - etiology; Speech Production Measurement; Thailand; Time Factors; Thailand; Human; Verbal fluidity; Nervous system diseases; Word; Linguistic production; Word length; Experimental study; Language disorder; Cerebral disorder; Young adult; Interindividual comparison; Aphasia; Adult; Timing; Time analysis; Elderly
• ISSN: 0093-934X; 1090-2155
• DOI: 10.1006/brln.1993.1041

The present study examined temporal characteristics of monosyllabic, bisyallabic, and trisyllabic words in Thai to evaluate timing control at the word level in brain-damaged patients. Subjects included young and old normal adults, right hemisphere patients, and left hemisphere nonfluent and fluent aphasic patients. Utterances were produced at a conversational speaking rate. Results indicated that, on an absolute or relative measurement scale, magnitude of the shortening effect on nonfinal syllables in polysyllabic words was significantly smaller in left nonfluent aphasics than in other groups. In trisyllabic words, duration of the penultimate syllable for left fluent aphasics was also significantly longer than that of normals. Left nonfluent and fluent aphastics were signficantly more variable than other speakers in their production of bisyllabic and trisyllabic words. Findings are discussed in relation to issues pertaining to the nature of timing deficits in nonfluent and fluent aphasic patients.