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The Taiwanese Mandarin Linguistic Communication Measure (TM-LCM): An adaptation study for quantifying discourse produced by healthy individuals and speakers with aphasia in Taiwan

Chun-Chih Yeh1 and Anthony Pak Hin Kong2*
  • 1 Victoria Residence and Rehab Center, United States
  • 2 University of Central Florida, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, United States

Background Limited studies have focused on quantitative analysis of aphasic oral discourse in Chinese, especially for native Taiwanese-Mandarin speakers. Recently, a Taiwan Mandarin Main Concept Analysis (TM-MCA; Kong & Yeh, 2015) was developed for quantifying the presence, accuracy, and completeness of main concepts (propositions) produced in a sequential picture description task by speakers with aphasia. Other reported studies investigating Chinese aphasic discourse have been conducted primarily in the Cantonese-speaking population (Kong, 2009, 2011; Kong & Law, 2004; Law, 2001). A clinically oriented discourse analytic system called the Cantonese Linguistic Communication Measure (CLCM) was reported by Kong and Law (2004). It contains eight indices, including Total number of words (NW), Number of informative words (i-words), Index of Lexical Efficiency (ILE), Index of Communication Efficiency (ICE), Index of Grammatical Support (IGS), Index of Elaboration (IEl), Index of Error (IEr), and Index of Lexical Richness (ILR). The current study aimed to develop and validate a culturally appropriate Taiwan Mandarin Linguistic Communication Measure (TM-LCM), translated and adapt from the CLCM, based on individuals with and without aphasia in Taiwan. Method Picture stimuli and i-words for the TM-LCM: Eight unimpaired native speakers of Taiwan Mandarin participated to describe the four sequential picture sets in Kong and Yeh (2015). Only lexical items related to the pictures mentioned by at least three speakers were included as target i-words. Normative and aphasic data collection and analysis: The participants included 36 unimpaired speakers and ten speakers with aphasia. Language samples elicited from the same picture description task were audiotaped and orthographically transcribed for subsequent analysis. A pair-sample t-test was conducted to evaluate the differences on each TM-LCM index between the aphasic speakers and their unimpaired counterparts matched in gender, age, and education. Validity: External validity was established by examining how the TM-LCM indices were related to the overall aphasia score in the Concise Chinese Aphasia Test (CCAT; Chung, Li, & Chang, 2003) and the TM-MCA measures, using Pearson correlations coefficients. Results and Discussion Results of one-way between groups ANOVA suggested a main age effect for i-word, F (2,33)=4.021, p=0.027. Findings from an independent-samples t-test revealed significant differences in IGS, where speakers in the high education group produced more grammatical words. Paired-sample t-tests revealed statistically significant differences between the aphasic and normal groups on i-word, ICE, and IEl. The aphasic group tended to produce fewer i-words depicted in the picture(s) and was less efficient and less elaborative than their matched controls. Findings of Pearson correlations revealed the overall CCAT aphasia score was significantly and positively related to production of i-words (r=0.94), but negatively to ILE (r=-0.77) and IEr (r=-0.79). Significant positive and/or negative correlations between most TM-LCM indices and related TM-MCA measures were also noted, suggesting the TM-LCM to be a valid assessment tool: • i-word: Accurate-and-complete (AC) concepts (r=0.96), Absent (AB) concepts (r=-0.92), the rate of AC production (r=0.65), overall main concept (MC) score (r=0.98), • ILE: Accurate-but-incomplete (AI) concepts (r=-0.70), AB (r=0.84), MC (r=-0.78) • ICE: rate of AC production (r=0.92) • IEr: AC (r=-0.64), AI (r=-0.67), AB (r=0.90), MC (r=-0.85)

References

Chung, Y. M., Li, S. E., & Chang, M. H. (2003). Concise Chinese Aphasia Test. TPE: Psychological Publishing Co.
Kong, A. P. H. (2009). The use of main concept analysis to measure discourse production in Cantonese-speaking persons with aphasia: A preliminary report. Journal of Communication Disorders, 42, 442-464.
Kong, A. P. H. (2011). The main concept analysis in Cantonese aphasic oral discourse: External validation and monitoring chronic aphasia. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 54, 148-159.
Kong, A. P. H., & Law, S. P. (2004). A Cantonese linguistic communication measure for evaluating aphasic narrative production: Normative and preliminary aphasia data. Journal of Multilingual Communication Disorders, 2, 124-146.
Kong, A.P.H., & Yeh, C.C. (2015). A Taiwanese Mandarin Main Concept Analysis (TM-MCA) for quantification of aphasic oral discourse. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. Epub ahead 19 Feb doi: 10.1111/1460-6984.12157
Law, S. P. (2001). A quantitative analysis of Cantonese aphasic production. Journal of Psychology in Chinese Society, 2, 211-237.

Keywords: Linguistic Communication Measure, oral discourse, Taiwanese Mandarin, Chinese, assessment methods

Conference: Academy of Aphasia 53rd Annual Meeting, Tucson, United States, 18 Oct - 20 Oct, 2015.

Presentation Type: Poster

Topic: Not student first author

Citation: Yeh C and Kong A (2015). The Taiwanese Mandarin Linguistic Communication Measure (TM-LCM): An adaptation study for quantifying discourse produced by healthy individuals and speakers with aphasia in Taiwan. Front. Psychol. Conference Abstract: Academy of Aphasia 53rd Annual Meeting. doi: 10.3389/conf.fpsyg.2015.65.00069

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Received: 08 Apr 2015; Published Online: 24 Sep 2015.

* Correspondence: Dr. Anthony Pak Hin Kong, University of Central Florida, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Orlando, Florida, United States, akong@hku.hk