Case study uncovers shared narrative structure but divergent functional efficiency across languages in bilingual aphasia, suggesting language-specific influences on communication.
Key Points
To examine three structural and two functional macrolinguistic features, alongside four microlinguistic features, of narrative production in a bilingual speaker with moderate nonfluent aphasia across their first (Yiddish) and second (English) languages.
Evaluated a single bilingual individual with moderate nonfluent aphasia.
Elicited 16 narratives per language using a cue word procedure across Yiddish (L1) and English (L2).
Analyzed structural features (between-main concept sequencing, information structure, story grammar), functional features (informativeness, communication efficiency), and microlinguistic aspects.
Structural macrolinguistic features of narrative production exhibited parallel organization across Yiddish and English despite presence of aphasic disruptions in both languages.
Functional macrolinguistic measures and microlinguistic features exhibited greater cross-linguistic disparity, showing small numerical advantages favoring the native language (Yiddish) alongside increased error rates in English.