PARAPHEMIA Meaning and
Definition
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Paraphemia is a term used in the field of psychology and linguistics to describe a language disorder characterized by the production of abnormal and involuntary word substitutions or distortions during speech. It is also known as phonemic paraphasia or literal paraphasia.
In individuals with paraphemia, there is a breakdown in the ability to select and retrieve the appropriate words to express thoughts or ideas. This results in the substitution of one word for another that may have a similar sound, syllable, or meaning. For example, a person may say "table" instead of "chair" or "dog" instead of "cat".
Paraphemia is often associated with other neurological conditions such as aphasia, which is a language impairment caused by damage to the brain, typically due to stroke, head injury, or degenerative diseases. It can occur in both expressive and receptive language skills, leading to difficulties in both understanding and producing speech.
The exact causes of paraphemia are not fully understood, but it is believed to result from disruptions in the language processing centers of the brain. Treatment for paraphemia typically involves speech therapy, which focuses on improving communication skills and restoring language function.
Overall, paraphemia is a language disorder characterized by the production of inappropriate and substituted words during speech. It affects the ability to communicate effectively and can be associated with various neurological conditions.
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A form of aphasia in which the patient constantly employs the wrong words.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
Common Misspellings for PARAPHEMIA
Etymology of PARAPHEMIA
The word "paraphemia" is derived from the Greek roots "para-" which means "abnormal" or "dysfunctional" and "phemia" which means "speech" or "expression". When combined, "paraphemia" refers to a speech disorder characterized by the production of unintended words or phrases instead of the intended ones. It is commonly associated with neurological conditions such as aphasia, where damaged areas of the brain affect language processing and result in speech impairments.
