Production of proper names: a clinical case study of the effects of phonemic cueing.

The production of proper names is a task that in everyday life is particularly prone to temporary failures, especially in elderly subjects. The reason for this is still rather obscure but indications in recent literature suggest an independent status for proper names in comparison with common ones, which may entail differences in processing or in processing demands. The main sources of empirical evidence come, on the one hand, from studies of face and person identity recognition and, on the other, from neuropsychological observations. All the findings appear to concur in supporting theoretical distinctions that have been made for a long time in the field of philosophy of language. These distinctions have directed the endeavours of experimental research. The present study describes, for the first time, a neuropsychological patient who shows, in certain conditions, a sparing of proper names despite an otherwise deeply troubled linguistic production. This finding may appear to be counterintuitive, considering the fact that proper names are viewed, in general, as more difficult to produce than common ones. However, in consideration also of other emerging neuropsychological and experimental findings, it is proposed that possible differences in lexical access for the two categories of common and proper names may explain the phenomenon and still be consistent with mainstream philosophical theories.