paraphasic errors
Unintended word or sound substitutions in speech production characteristic of aphasia.
Full Definition
Paraphasic errors are involuntary substitutions that occur during speech production in individuals with aphasia or other language disorders. Phonemic paraphasias involve sound substitutions within words (e.g., 'table' becomes 'tible'), while semantic paraphasias involve word substitutions within the same semantic category (e.g., 'fork' becomes 'spoon'). Neologistic paraphasias create entirely new, meaningless words. These errors provide important diagnostic information about the type and severity of language impairment and help localize brain lesions affecting language networks.
Usage
Usage note: Can be written as 'paraphasias' when referring to the errors themselves rather than the phenomenon.
In Context
- "The patient's spontaneous speech contained frequent paraphasic errors." — Language assessment report
- "Phonemic paraphasic errors suggested damage to Broca's area." — Aphasia evaluation summary