| The studies reported in this dissertation seek to further our understanding of language structure and functioning by appealing to data from Broca's and Wernicke's aphasia. This is possible given the function localizing value long observed for these syndromes which, in turn, allow us to link patterns of sparing and loss to mutually exclusive neuroanatomical regions.; In Part II I investigate the Broca's area-syntax connection by looking into the comprehension patterns of certain key linguistic constructions in Broca's agrammatic patients. The result of this investigation is a new generalization that abandons the movement-based approach while maintaining that the deficit is not only minimal but also syntactic in nature. It does this by describing the locus of the deficit as an inability to properly establish correspondence between semantic arguments and grammatical functions.; In Part III I investigate the Wernicke's area-lexico-semantic connection, by studying the comprehension patterns, at the sentence level, in Wernicke's patients. I provide evidence that suggests a comprehension deficit in these patients that arises from an inability to carry out composition beyond that provided by syntactic mechanisms.; Findings from the present work support two main conclusions: (1){A0}Broca's and Wernicke's sentence comprehension patterns constitute a reliable source of evidence for theories of the normal case, and (2){A0}the organization of language in the brain seems to be best understood along the syntax/semantics distinction. |
