Anomic aphasia

• Why does this universal problem among speakers happen?
• Everyone will experience an occasional word-finding difficulty, but if they happen very often with a broad range of words, names and numbers, this could be a sign of a neurological disorder.

The steps involved in speaking

Producing spoken words involves several stages of processing. These include:
• When a healthy speaker can’t retrieve a word from their lexicon despite the feeling of knowing it, this is called a “tip-of-the-tongue” phenomenon by language scientists.
• Tip-of-the-tongue states are relatively common and are a type of speech error that occurs primarily during retrieval of the sound pattern of a word (step three above).

What can affect word finding?

• In older adults, they can cause frustration and anxiety about the possibility of developing dementia.
• One way researchers investigate word-finding difficulties is to ask people to keep a diary to record how often and in what context they occur.
• It’s thought this is because they have weaker connections between their meanings and their sound patterns than more frequently used words.

When could it spell more serious issues?

• More frequent failures with a broader range of words, names and numbers are likely to indicate more serious issues.
• Primary progressive aphasia is typically associated with frontotemporal or Alzheimer’s dementias, although it can be associated with other pathologies.
• An assessment by a clinical neuropsychologist or speech pathologist can help clarify which processing stage is affected and how serious the problem might be.
• They might also be provided with a cue or prompt, such as the first letter (h) or syllable (ham).
• This is typically a sign of a more serious issue such as primary progressive aphasia.