Integrative Perspectives on Syntactic and Phonological Processing Deficits in Aphasia

Aphasia presents a complex disruption of language abilities, often affecting both syntactic and phonological processing. While early accounts emphasized the degradation of stored linguistic representations, growing evidence points to a dominant role for processing deficits shaped by limitations in domain-general cognitive systems. This article synthesizes findings across behavioral, computation and neuropsychological studies to identify five key themes underlying these impairments: (1) The Pervasive Impact of Canonicity; (2) Reliance on Lexical Heuristics and Reduced Sensitivity to Morpho-Syntax; (3) Phonological Processing as a Foundational Bottleneck; (4) The Exacerbating Role of Cognitive Resource Limitations; (5) Variability and Unsystematic Performance. The review concludes with insights into the clinical implications of these findings and outlines future research directions to advance diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.