agrammatism
Pronunciation: ay-GRAM-uh-tizm
Language disorder characterized by simplified syntax and omission of grammatical elements.
Full Definition
A core feature of non-fluent aphasia where patients produce telegraphic speech with preserved content words but omitted function words, inflections, and complex grammatical structures. Patients typically retain nouns and verbs but drop articles, prepositions, and auxiliary verbs, resulting in speech that sounds like telegram text. This condition is most commonly associated with Broca's aphasia following left frontal cortex damage. Editors should note that agrammatic patients often retain comprehension abilities despite expressive difficulties. The term applies to both spoken and written language production.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from dysarthria (motor speech disorder) and apraxia of speech (motor planning disorder).
In Context
- "The stroke patient's agrammatism was evident in utterances like 'man... walk... dog' when describing pictures." — Speech-language pathology evaluation
- "Agrammatic writing samples showed preserved semantic content but absent grammatical morphemes." — Neuropsychological testing report