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Bilingualism: A framework for understanding the mental lexicon
Edited by Maya Libben, Mira Goral and Gary Libben
[Bilingual Processing and Acquisition 6] 2017
► pp. 181–196

Lexical retrieval difficulty in bilingual speakers with and without pathology

Difficulty retrieving words that are known to the speaker is common in certain pathologies, such as aphasia and dementia, but may also occur in apathological change associated with healthy aging and with first language attrition. This chapter reviews findings from bilingual individuals who experience compromised lexical retrieval, focusing on three sub-populations. We first review lexical change in the first language of healthy bilingual adults who are immersed in their second language. Studies of bilingual speakers who acquire aphasia resulting from brain damage are then reviewed, demonstrating the complex influence of a variety of speaker- and language-related variables. Finally, data from studies with older bilinguals who experience typical and pathological aging-related language change are addressed. These three sources of evidence highlight the dynamic nature of the mental lexicon and the complex nature of lexical change in adulthood.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Lexical change in first-language attrition
  • 3.Lexical retrieval impairment in bilingual aphasia
  • 4.Lexical retrieval changes in bilingual older adults
  • 5.Concluding remarks
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 20 December 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/bpa.6.08gor
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