Comparative research on aphasia and aphasia rehabilitation is challenged by the lack of comparable assessment tools across different languages. In English, a large array of tools is available, while in most other languages, the selection is more limited. Importantly, assessment tools are often simple translations and do not take into consideration specific linguistic and psycholinguistic parameters of the target languages. As a first step in meeting the needs for comparable assessment tools, the Comprehensive Aphasia Test is currently being adapted into a number of languages spoken in Europe. In this article, some key challenges encountered in the adaptation process and the solutions to ensure that the resulting assessment tools are linguistically and culturally equivalent, are proposed. Specifically, we focus on challenges and solutions related to the use of imageability, frequency, word length, spelling-to-sound regularity and sentence length and complexity as underlying properties in the selection of the testing material.

Introduction: Imageability is a psycholinguistic variable that indicates how well a word gives rise to a mental image or sensory experience. Imageability ratings are used extensively in psycholinguistic, neuropsychological and aphasiological studies. However, little formal knowledge exists on whether and how these ratings are associated between and within languages. Methods and results:Fifteen imageability databases were cross-correlated using non-parametric statistics. Some of these corresponded to unpublished data collected within a European research network -the Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (COST IS1208). All but four correlations were significant. The average strength of the correlations (rho =.68) and the variance explained (R 2 =46%)were moderate. This implies that factors other than imageability may explain 54% of the results. Conclusion: Imageability ratings often correlate across languages. Different possibly interactingfactors may explain the moderate strength and variance in the correlations: (1) linguistic and cultural factors; (2) intrinsic differences between databases; (3) range effects; (4) small numbers of words in each database, equivalent words, and participants; and (5) mean age of participants. The results suggest that imageability ratings may be used cross-linguistically. However, further understanding of the factors explaining the variance in the correlations is needed, before research and practice recommendations can be made.

Background: Verb processing is largely described across languages as being impaired in agrammatic aphasia, i.e., non-fluent aphasia with so-called "telegraphic style". Although both lexical and morphosyntactic errors have been reported in the literature, this paper questions the claim that impaired access to verbs is a hallmark of this clinical syndrome. Aims: The present study aims to assess how agrammatic verb processing is impaired in two languages with distinct grammatical properties: Basque and French, and to test hypotheses that suggested an access deficit to verbs on this new database. Moreover, the nature of agrammatic verb errors is analysed from an interdisciplinary neuropsycholinguistic perspective according to which aphasic symptoms should be interpretable at different levels of organisation of language processing involving neural, cognitive and linguistic aspects. Methods & Procedures:A protocol built on Basque and French grammatical properties was designed in order to assess whether errors are specific to verbs, whether they are lexical or morphosyntactic and whether the verb argument structure complexity increases lexical and morphosyntactic processing difficulties, in both production and comprehension. One Basque-speaking and one French-speaking patient with agrammatism and matched controls were assessed on various oral tasks (object and action naming; sentence production and comprehension; prepositional phrase production), each of them containing 20 pictures displayed on a computer. Data were collected using a digital recorder.Outcomes & Results: Results show that agrammatic speakers produced many lexical verbs of every argument structure type. Errors were specifically morphosyntactic and increased with the verb argument structure complexity. However, verb errors were different in Basque and French due to their distinct morphosyntactic properties. In addition, whereas errors appeared in French in the use of prepositions, case morphology was well preserved in Basque, raising the issue of considering distinct neurocognitive mechanisms underlying different morphological systems. Conclusions: This paper supports the view that Basque and French agrammatic data collected from this study do not result from a lexical-access deficit. However, this interpretation depends on how one considers inflected verbs to be processed (endolexicon or exolexicon), as addressed in the discussion. In conclusion, a "post-lexical access" deficit is rather suggested, that is prior to morphophonological encoding, and affects abstract morphosyntactic operations required to implement the verb argument structure.The present study assesses agrammatic verb deficits from a cross-linguistic perspective in Basque and French. It describes agrammatic verb errors in a language previously understudied in clinical linguistics, the Basque language, and demonstrates that this language represents a relevant testing ground to further assess the nature of agrammatic verb processing. In particular, we consider four properties of Basque (periph...

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Laburpena: Artikulu honen helburua da neurozientzia kognitiboaren ikuspegitik definitzea afasia zer den eta afasiologia zertan datzan. Horrez gain, afasia hizkuntza ezberdinetan aztertzearen ezinbestekotasuna erakustea du xedea, burmuinaren eta hizkuntzaren arteko eraginak hobeki ulertzeko. Gaixo agramatikoen aditz-prozesamenduaren azterketa hartzen dut adibidetzat. Bukatzeko, etorkizunari begira, euskal afasiologiari eta afasiadun eleaniztunen azterketari buruzko ikerketa-lerro batzuk aipatzen ditut.Hitz gakoak: hizkuntza-aniztasuna, afasia, agramatismoa, neurozientzia kognitiboa, aditz-prozesamendua, euskarazko sintoma afasikoak. Abstract:The goal of this paper is to define aphasia and aphasiology from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience. In addition, it emphasizes the need to study aphasia in different languages for a better understanding of brain and language relationships. For this purpose, I take the example of agrammatic verb processing assessment. Finally, I mention some future lines of research regarding Basque aphasiology and the assessment of multilingual people with aphasia.

Artikulu honen helburua da fLEX aplikazio eleanitzaren motibazioa, egitura, eta funtzionamendua aurkeztea eta, horretan oinarrituta, hamar haur euskaldunengandik bildutako datuak aztertzea. Ahozko bost probak eta orotara 160 estimuluk osatzen dute fLEX, prozesaketa lexikala zein flexionala, ekoizpena eta ulermenean aztertzeko: gauzak eta ekintzak izendatzea; esaldiak ekoiztea eta ulertzea; kasu eta posposizio sintagmak ekoiztea. Aurreikusten zen proba hauek egiteko zailtasunik ez agertzea bost urtetik gorako haurrentzat. 5-10 urte tarteko hamar haur euskaldunek parte hartu dute ikerketan. Emaitzek erakusten dute esaldiak ekoiztea dela emaitza ahulenak dakartzan proba; «ditu» eta «die» aditz laguntzaileak ekoizteko emaitzak apalak direla forma horiek ulertzeko arazo handirik ez den arren; ergatiboa, destinatiboa eta lekuzko genitiboa ekoizteko, beste kasu eta posposizioak ekoizteko baino huts gehiago agertzen dira. Datuen kantitatezko eta kalitatezko deskribapena egiten da, prozesaketa flexionalean eta lexikalean puntu ahulak erakutsiz. Haurren garapen tipikoaren ahuleziak definitzea ezinbestekoa da hizkuntza-arazoak diagnostikatzeko garaian. Psikohizkuntzalaritzaren ikuspegitik corpus baliagarri bat eskaintzeaz gain, euskaraz hizkuntza aztertzeko tresnak garatzeko beharra azpimarratzen da.

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