| Abstract: | The syntactic and nonsyntactic strategies used for understanding sentences by Spanish-speaking Broca's aphasic patients in off-line tasks were analysed. It is emphasized that given the characteristics of syntax in Spanish, such as its flexibility (greater freedom in the order of constituents), the function of the direct object with the preposition a (to) and the effect of determiners, research with Spanish-speaking patients will allow for a characterization of specific disorders that cannot be generalized on the basis of research conducted in other languages. A linguistic instrument was applied to 10 Broca's aphasic patients. A forced choice task was used in which the patient listened to 190 different reversible sentences and was asked to select one of four options presented on a plate; each option contained a pair of animals performing a specific act and only one option was correct. The results showed significant differences in the use of syntactic and nonsyntactic strategies. Broca's aphasic patients used only morpho-syntactic marks with high cue validity. No significant effects of word order were found. These findings imply the existence of specific off-line linguistic mechanisms that influence the comprehension in non-fluent aphasic patients. |
