Verb-production treatment in multilingual aphasia: Cross-linguistic generalization or inhibition?
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1
University of Oslo, MultiLing, Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian studies, Norway
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2
Statped, Department of Speech and Language Disorders, Norway
Previous research on language intervention in multilingual aphasia shows equivocal results of cross-linguistic transfer and inhibition. Despite the fact that many speakers with non-fluent aphasia suffer greater retrieval impairment of verbs than nouns (Mätzig et al., 2009), most of the studies focus on noun retrieval. The present study aims to explore whether verb-retrieval treatment can lead to improvement of verbs and narrative production across the languages in two multilingual speakers with non-fluent aphasia.
Both participants, females in their 50s, sustained left CVAs resulting in non-fluent aphasia at least 6 months prior to the study. P1 was quadrilingual, and P2 trilingual, but tested in only two of her languages. The interventions, Semantic Feature Analysis (Wambaugh & Ferguson, 2007) and a communication-based treatment, were provided in two intensive blocks over four weeks each. Both protocols focused on the production of verbs in connected speech and were provided in the participants’ latest acquired language: Norwegian. The order of the interventions was counterbalanced across the participants. The participants were tested in all or both their languages pre and post each of the interventions.
Results of two tasks are reported: an action-description task and production of semi-spontaneous narratives.
For P1 the action-naming task shows significant improvement of verbs in the treated language and also in one of her untreated languages. Analyses of the narrative production in the treated language show an increase in the total number of words and correct information units (CIUs) (Nicholas & Brookshire, 1993) and in the percentage of words that were CIUs. The percentage of grammatical sentences also increased, as well as the number of complex sentences. The relative amount of verb and noun tokens did not change. Concerning cross-language transfer, the analysis of the narratives in the untreated languages show mixed results.
For P2 the action-naming task shows significant improvement in both the treated and the untreated language. In narrative production, P2 shows an increase in verbs and nouns (types and tokens), an increase in the amount of complex sentences, as well as in the total number of words and CIUs and in speech rate. In the untreated language there are increases in verbs and nouns (types and tokens), in complex and grammatical sentences, as well as in the total number of words and CIUs and in speech rate.
The results thus show that treatment of verb production in a late acquired language can generalize to the untreated language(s) in multilingual speakers with non-fluent aphasia. Moreover, no signs of inhibition of the untreated languages were found. The study supports prior suggestions that treatment of verbs in sentence contexts is beneficial (e.g. Bastiaanse et al., 2006; Links et al., 2010), furthermore indicating that this method may also be fruitful for cross-linguistic transfer.
The results from these two single case studies will be compared and discussed in light of theories of the verb’s impact on sentence production, structural differences between the languages involved and inhibition of untreated languages.
Acknowledgements
We thank the two multilingual speakers with aphasia for taking part in this study.
References
Bastiaanse, R., Hurkmans, J., & Links, P. (2006). The training of verb production in Broca’s aphasia: A multiple-baseline across-behaviours study. Aphasiology, 20(2/3/4), 298-311. doi: 10.1080/02687030500474922
Links, P., Hurkmans, J., & Bastiaanse, R. (2010). Training verb and sentence production in agrammatic Broca's aphasia. Aphasiology, 24(11), 1303-1325. doi: 10.1080/02687030903437666
Mätzig, S., Druks, J., Masterson, J., & Vigliocco, G. (2009). Noun and verb differences in picture naming: Past studies and new evidence. Cortex, 45(6), 738-758. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2008.10.003
Nicholas, L. E., & Brookshire, R. H. (1993). A System for Quantifying the Informativeness and Efficiency of the Connected Speech of Adults With Aphasia. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 36(2), 338-350. doi: 10.1044/jshr.3602.338
Wambaugh, J. L., & Ferguson, M. (2007). Application of semantic feature analysis to retrieval of action names in aphasia. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development, 44(3), 381-394. doi: 10.1682/jrrd.2006.05.0038
Keywords:
cross-linguistic transfer,
inhibition,
verb treatment,
multilingual,
Aphasia
Conference:
54th Annual Academy of Aphasia Meeting, Llandudno, United Kingdom, 16 Oct - 18 Oct, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Poster Sessions
Topic:
Academy of Aphasia
Citation:
Knoph
MI,
Lind
M and
Simonsen
HG
(2016). Verb-production treatment in multilingual aphasia: Cross-linguistic generalization or inhibition?.
Front. Psychol.
Conference Abstract:
54th Annual Academy of Aphasia Meeting.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fpsyg.2016.68.00006
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Received:
20 Apr 2016;
Published Online:
15 Aug 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Monica I Knoph, University of Oslo, MultiLing, Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian studies, OSLO, Norway, monica.norvik@iln.uio.no