Naming problem in Turkiskh aphasic patients

Aphasia is one of the most important fields of study in neurolinguistics which researches the relationship between language and brain. Aphasia results from lesions in the left hemisphere of the brain caused by a brain tumor or stroke. One of the most common problems aphasic patients experience is naming which means associating the appropriate concept with the object. As naming constitutes the core of speech production, it takes an important part in patients? speech comprehension and production abilities.The aim of this study is to compare the object and action naming skills of aphasic patients; find out the relationship between the type of aphasia and naming disorders by comparing fluent and non-fluent aphasic patients? object and action naming skills. In addition to these, determining the role of word frequency on object naming and the role of transitivity on action naming are also among the aims of the study. The database of the study includes 10 fluent and 14 non fluent patients diognosed with aphasia in Dokuz Eylul University and Ege University Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Departments. Patients were first tested by Ege Aphasia Test for a general language evaluation and then the Naming Assessment Scale we prepared to compare and contrast the object and action naming skills of subjects was presented. This battery aiming to test the subjects? object and action naming skills is a picture naming tool analyzing objects by word frequency and actions by transitivity. The data gained at the end of the study were evaluated and commented by statistical analyses. By the end of the research it was observed that object naming skills of aphasic patients were better preserved than their action naming skills. While there was not a meaningful difference between object and action naming skills of fluent aphasic patients, it was found out that non fluent aphasic patients? object naming skills were better preserved than their action naming skills. In addition to these, it was also observed that word frequency had a positive effect on object naming whereas a meaningful difference between the aphasic patients? naming ratios of transitive and intransitive verbs was not found.