In this Essay the Trace Deletion Hypothesis by Grodzinsky as well as the Tree Pruning Hypothesis by Friedmann and Grodzinsky will be explained, the first of which focuses on the impaired comprehension while the latter concerns itself with the impaired production in agrammatism.
A result of Broca's aphasia, agrammatism is a disorder which involves a lack of grammaticality in language production and a reduced understanding of grammatical markers. Agrammatic patients speak in telegraphic style, often omitting grammatical morphemes and function words while content words can still be used accurately. Language comprehension is also limited to content words whereas grammatical markers are not processed. This disorder hence affects both production and comprehension, which is why linguistic theories concerning agramatism differ in focus.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- The Trace Deletion Hypothesis by Grodzinsky
- Original TDH
- Default Strategy
- Revised TDH
- The Tree Pruning Hypothesis by Friedmann and Grodzinsky
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
The purpose of this essay is to explore two linguistic accounts that attempt to explain the production and comprehension deficits associated with agrammatism. The essay will examine the Trace Deletion Hypothesis (TDH) by Grodzinsky, which focuses on the comprehension deficit, and the Tree Pruning Hypothesis (TPH) by Friedmann and Grodzinsky, which concentrates on the impaired production of language.
- Agrammatism as a syntactic deficit
- The role of Broca's area in language processing
- The influence of cognitive strategies on comprehension
- The structure of the syntactic tree and its relevance to agrammatism
- The selective nature of agrammatic impairments
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter introduces the concept of agrammatism and its connection to Broca's aphasia. It highlights the disorder's impact on both language production and comprehension. The chapter also introduces two linguistic theories that will be explored in detail: the Trace Deletion Hypothesis (TDH) and the Tree Pruning Hypothesis (TPH).
The second chapter delves into the Trace Deletion Hypothesis (TDH) by Grodzinsky. It explains the original theory, which postulates that traces of movement are deleted from the surface structure, leading to impaired theta role assignment. The chapter further discusses the Default Strategy, a cognitive component added to the theory to address comprehension errors in specific structures. It then presents the revised TDH, which includes restrictions on trace deletion and the applicability of the cognitive strategy.
The third chapter examines the Tree Pruning Hypothesis (TPH), which focuses on the impaired production of language in agrammatism. The theory proposes that the impairment lies in the underspecification of specific nodes within the syntactic tree, leading to a selective disruption of grammatical features. The chapter details the hierarchy of nodes in the syntactic tree and provides evidence from studies supporting the theory. It highlights the selective nature of agrammatism and contrasts the TPH with previous views of the disorder.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary focus of this essay is on agrammatism, a language disorder associated with Broca's aphasia. The essay explores the Trace Deletion Hypothesis (TDH) and the Tree Pruning Hypothesis (TPH), two linguistic theories attempting to explain the underlying mechanisms of agrammatism. Other key terms and concepts include syntactic deficit, theta roles, cognitive strategies, syntactic tree, and functional categories.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Silvia Schilling (Autor:in), 2015, Linguistic Theories about Agrammatism. The Trace Deletion Hypothesis and the Tree Pruning Hypothesis, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/493985
