Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    Can we separate verbs from their argument structure?: A group study in aphasia

    Access Status
    Open access via publisher
    Authors
    Caley, S.
    Whitworth, Anne
    Claessen, Mary
    Date
    2016
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Caley, S. and Whitworth, A. and Claessen, M. 2016. Can we separate verbs from their argument structure?: A group study in aphasia. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders.52 (1): pp. 59-70.
    Source Title
    International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders
    DOI
    10.1111/1460-6984.12253
    ISSN
    1460-6984
    School
    School of Psychology and Speech Pathology
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/4257
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Background: Given the integral role that verbs play in sentence production, understanding verb deficits is critical to clinical practice. Difficulties in sentence production are often directly related to an inability to retrieve argument structure information which, according to most theoretical accounts, is specified at a lexical level as part of the semantic representation of the verb. The presence of an argument complexity effect when retrieving verbs in isolation, i.e. increased difficulty with increasing number of arguments required by the verb, is considered evidence of the integral link between verbs and the ensuing structure. Recent reports, however, of relatively intact verb retrieval and impaired argument structure suggest that difficulties with verbs and argument structure may not always co-occur. One explanation for this is that lexical–syntactic information may be stored separately to lexical–semantic information at the lemma level and then differentially impaired. Aims: To determine whether the presence of difficulties creating argument structure in a group of people with aphasia with verb-retrieval deficits consistently aligned with the underlying nature of their impairment, where semantic involvement resulted in argument structure difficulties and post-semantic impairment resulted in intact argument structure. This would provide evidence either to support or to challenge the view that argument structure is lexically specified. The presence of an argument complexity effect within the participants’ single verb naming was also investigated to examine the relationship between verb argument information and any subsequent difficulties creating argument structure for sentence production. Methods & Procedures: Verb retrieval and argument structure production were investigated in 12 people with aphasia with verb-retrieval deficits on single-word and sentence-production measures. Outcomes & Results: Eight of the 12 participants presented with a semantic verb deficit (five semantic and three mixed semantic and phonological) and had difficulties in creating argument structure. Four participants presented with a phonological verb deficit. Of these, two had intact argument structure while two had impaired argument structure. An argument complexity effect in verb naming was seen in both groups. Conclusions & Implications: Semantic verb-retrieval deficits consistently resulted in argument structure production difficulties, supporting the view that syntactic information is stored within the lemma. The presence of argument structure difficulties in two participants with phonological deficits; however, lends support for the separate coding of lexical–syntactic from lexical–semantic information at the lemma level, a factor that has both theoretical and clinical implications with respect to diagnosis and management.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Argument structure deficit in aphasia: it’s not all about verbs
      Whitworth, Anne; Webster, J.; Howard, D. (2015)
      Background: Verb difficulties in aphasia often co-occur with difficulties specifying argument structure of the sentence. Recent exploration of verb and argument structure deficits has shown dissociations between lexical ...
    • Treating verbs in aphasia: Exploring the impact of therapy at the single wordand sentence levels
      Webster, J.; Whitworth, Anne (2012)
      Background: In recent years there has been significant interest in the differential processing of nouns and verbs in people with aphasia, but more limited consideration about whether the differences have implications for ...
    • Taking words to a new level: a preliminary investigation of discourse intervention in primary progressive aphasia
      Whitworth, Anne; Cartwright, J.; Beales, A.; Leitao, Suze; Panegyres, P.; Kane, Robert (2017)
      © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group Background: Despite a growing literature characterising connected speech and discourse impairments associated with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), intervention ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.