Translation of the week: Aphasia in West Greenlandic
This week we’re bringing you the English translation of Johanne Nedergård’s Lingoblog post on aphasia in West Greenlandic! The original Danish version can be found here.
Aphasia
Aphasia in West Greenlandic affects syntax but leaves morphology intact
Many linguists are interested in linguistic deficits (i.e. aphasia) that arise after brain injury. By investigating them, we can potentially infer something about how language is organised in people without brain damage – both which components comprise language and where the different components are located in the brain. We hope to answer questions like: Is there a difference between grammar and lexicon? Are language comprehension and language production located in different brain areas? How do we access the meanings of words, and are words with similar meanings also close to each other in the brain? The problem with a lot of research on aphasia, however, is that it has primarily focused on European languages that are structurally very similar.
This … ↪
Only 100 spoken words per day: Vox
Can you imagine a world where you are only allowed to speak a certain amount of words per day? Imagine if the amount was 100 words. It does not take a conversation analyst to argue or explain that this number is incredibly low, just try counting the number of words you have used in your last conversation today, and you will see how the numbers add up pretty quickly. Imagine if a metal bracelet around your wrist keeps track of your verbal behavior. Then imagine that, if you exceed this number, the bracelet will give you an electric shock. Finally, imagine if this only applies to women.
This is the world that the author Christina Dalcher invites us in to … ↪