Abstract
[Semantic Representation of Locative Prepositions in Aphasic Subjects: A Qualitative Analysis]
Comprehension of eleven prepositions of space localization (in. under, above, on, far from, around, in front of, behind, against, beside, near) is examined in 30 normal and 20 aphasic subjects. Two experiments arc made: object placement in response to a verbal instruction and verification of sentence picture correspondences. The selection of subjects (absence of severe comprehension deficits) and the construction of the sentences (the lexical and grammatical structures do not vary with the used preposition) allow (o interpret the responses as reflecting semantic processes in the comprehension of the prepositions. Some particular behaviours are underlined in individual subjects: selective impairment of a semantic feature (distance) or selective sparing (distance, interiority, vicinity, envelopment); difficulty in processing contact, a feature which is hierarchically subordinated to vicinity (“against”) or to verticality (“on”); polarity inversion (confusion between “on” and “under”; between “in” and “around”). These observations invite to a fine description of the semantic characteristics of the errors made by aphasic subjects and argue for the psychological reality of the features evidenced by Piérart et Costermans (1979) in a multi-dimensional analysis of French locatives.