Co-speech Gesture in Anomic Aphasia

Abstract

The use of gestures during "normal" speech production is well investigated and understood. In contrast, little systematic research has been carried out to examine gesture behaviour during non-fluent aphasie speech production, which is characterized by considerable anomia and hesitations. However, by comparing gesture behaviour during fluent, hesitant, and anomie speech, gesture research in aphasia can provide insight into a more general question: the nature of the interaction between verbal and manual expression. Furthermore, such research can help to evaluate the usefulness of therapy methods that try to stimulate verbal communication through nonverbal action. In this study, gesture behaviour (type, quantity, synchrony, handedness and function) related to speech production was examined and a comparison made between a male aphasie and a healthy counterpart. The collected data were separated into three different levels of fluency and then categorized according to McNeill's system, with additional features specific to anomie gesture behaviour. A comparison of the behaviour of the two informants reveals that there is no significant difference in their gestures during fluent speech production, Clear similarities were also observed in the two modes during hesitant speech production. With respect to anomia, the results of this study suggest that gestures do not have a compensatory or facilitative function. Consequently, it is questionable whether word retrieval during anomia can be prompted by nonverbal stimulation.