Speech and Gesture in Aphasia

Abstract or Introduction

The present paper examines this question whether gesture and speech can be treated as going hand-in-hand and, following that, break down together in case of speech impairment following aphasia or if gestures can even have a compensating function when language is no longer usable for an aphasic person. In the first case, one may assume that gesture and speech are “different sides of a single underlying mental process” (cf. McNeill 1992:1); in the second case, gesture and speech are rather independent.

To accomplish this goal, the second chapter takes a closer look at the relationship between gesture and speech and the functions that have been supposed in the case of gesture.

Thirdly, gesture production under pathologic circumstances is assessed by focusing at the topic of gesture production and aphasia. The possibility of a parallel or comparable impair-ment of speech and gesture in aphasia is reviewed, as well as gesture as compensating for speech in persons affected by aphasia (Chapter 3).

The fourth chapter introduces a case study by Lisette Mol, Emiel Krahmer & Mieke van de Sandt-Koenderman (cf. 2012) to further investigate the research question.

The subsequent paragraphs, then, discuss the study by Mol et al. (cf. 2012) in the light of other findings (i.a. Cocks, Middleton & Morgan 2011, McNeill & Duncan 2010; Kita & Özyürek 2003; Glosser, Wiener & Kaplan 1986; Orgassa 2005) regarding the topic (Chapter 4.)

The last chapter draws a conclusion on the question whether speech and language break down in a similar manner and can be regarded as closely related or if gesture can function to compensate for speech in the case of aphasia.