Neuropsychology and linguistic aphasiology: evidence in favor of case studies.
Two aphasic patients speaking Brazilian Portuguese and presenting the characteristics of Broca's aphasics were analyzed in relation to their capacities to express null subjects in two different grammatical persons: 1st and 3rd persons. The analysis consisted of looking at the means obtained from the two aphasic patients and their individual results concerning the production of null subjects in each grammatical person on focus. The individual pattern shown by each patient indicated the relevancy of analyzing individually the performance of neuropsychological patients. In this way the hypothesis which claims that in Brazilian Portuguese the null subject has two different natures could be verified.
Novaes
Celso
C
Department of Linguistics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. cnovaes@ufrj.br
D000328:Adult; D001039:Aphasia, Broca / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007802:Language; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009484:Neuropsychology / Q000379:methods*; D018579:Patient Selection; D011578:Psycholinguistics / Q000379:methods*; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012107:Research Design; D012660:Semantics