LANGUAGE

Language has existed for about two million years, but it is only in the last
150 that we have begun to understand what happens when we listen and
speak.

Language - The system of words or signs that people use to express

thoughts and feelings to each other.

Neurolinguistics - science that deals with the relationship between

language and the brain.

Although the study of the relationship between language and the brain is
still in its infancy, much has been learned about which parts of the brain
are involved in various aspects of language production and
comprehension.

Brain structure:
 ➢ The brain is composed of nerve cells called neurons.
➢ 1,400 grams. Although the brain accounts for only about 2 percent of
total body weight, it consumes about 20 percent of the oxygen the
body uses while at rest.
➢ The most complex 1,400 grammes in the galaxy.
➢ the Greek philosopher Aristotle.
➢ 10 billion neurons
➢ Different regions of the brain are specialized: hearing, sight, bodily
sensations, etc.
➢ 87-92% is right-handed
➢ 95% of right-handers, the left side of the brain is dominant for
language.
➢ 10% is left-handed
➢ 60-70% of left-handers, the left side of the brain is used for language

Broca's area and Wernicke's area - 1860 & 1870’s

Paul Broca and Karl Wernicke observed that people who had damage to a
particular area on the left side of the brain had speech and language
problems. The two language areas of the brain that are important for
language now bear their names: Broca's area and Wernicke's area.

Each hemisphere of the brain is dominant for other behaviors.

➢ The Right brain is dominant for spatial abilities, face recognition,
visual imagery, and music.
➢ The left brain may be more dominant in calculations, math, and logical
abilities.

Adults who have had their left cerebral hemispheres surgically removed
lost most, but not all, of their linguistic competence. They typically lose
the ability to speak and process complex syntactic patterns but retain
some language comprehension ability.

It has also been reported that right-handed patients who suffer damage
to the right cerebral hemisphere exhibit difficulty in understanding jokes
and metaphors in everyday conversation. Few left-handers have mirror
image representations for language.
Rather, they tend to show significant language representation in both
hemispheres. Thus, left-handers are generally less lateralized for
language.

Autopsy studies
Paul Broca - 1850
Broca observed a patient who had been hospitalized for more than twenty
years in Paris. The patient was almost completely unable to speak but
appeared to understand everything that was said to him. Towards the end
of his life (he died at fifty-seven), he also developed paralysis of the right
arm and leg.
Immediately after the patient's death, Broca examined the brain. It showed
severe damage in the lower rear area of the left frontal lobe. Broca
concluded that because the patient was unable to speak, this part of the
frontal lobe must normally be responsible for speech production. Since
that time, many other studies have supported Broca's conclusion. The
impairment of the ability to speak as a result of the brain is called Broca's
aphasia

Modern brain-imaging techniques have greatly increased our knowledge

of where language processing takes place in the brain. It has been found,
for example, that when subjects speak, much blood flows to the left
hemisphere of the cortex and to Broca's area in particular. when subjects
read, much blood flows to the occipital lobe and other areas of the left
hemisphere.

Dichotic listening studies

Each hemisphere is primarily wired to the opposite side of the body
(including the head). So, most of the input to your right ear goes to the left
hemisphere of your brain.

If you are right-handed, you will most probably be able to verify this by
observing the difference between holding a telephone receiver to your
right ear and holding it to your left ear during a conversation.

Aphasia
the loss of language ability as a result of damage to the brain. The most
common cause of aphasia is stroke. A stroke occurs when the normal flow
of blood to the brain is disrupted, preventing neurons from receiving
oxygen and nutrients. Aphasia can also be caused by blows to the head,
brain infections, brain tumors, and hemorrhage. For most people, these
are areas on the left side (hemisphere)

Types of Aphasia:
Fluent Aphasia: the inability to understand the language of others and
the production of less meaningful speech than normal.
Non-fluent aphasia: difficulty producing fluent, articulated, or
self-initiated speech.