Kana and kanji processing in japanese aphasics

Evidence is presented indicating that the ability of Japanese aphasics to use Japanese kana signs (phonetic symbols for syllables) and kanji characters (essentially nonphonetic logographic symbols) can be selectively impaired. Three types of impairment can be distinguished in terms of the characteristic patterns of kana versus kanji disabilities, which appear to correlate with some of the major diagnostic categories recognized among speakers of Indo-European languages, such as Broca's Aphasia, Wernicke's Aphasia, and Transcortical Aphasia. The results of longitudinal studies made of a limited number of patients representing each type indicate that the recovery processes for kana and kanji impairment are significantly different from type to type. The theoretical implications of these findings for a model of language processing in aphasia is discussed.