Luria on speech, words, repetition, naming m psychology of

C 12 Working Brain p 307 (random notes)
A word is not an association of an image of an object and a conditioned acoustic complex, but a matrix of multiple cues and connections (semantic, lexical, morphological and acoustic) and in different states any of them could be predominant.
Luria divides speech into expressive and impressive (=receptive). Expressive speech starts with an idea, is coded into a speech scheme, is formulated into operation with "internal speech," and is converted into narrative using rules of grammar. Impressive speech takes incoming speech, decodes it, puts into a speech scheme using internal speech, then into a general idea, and then into a motive. Luria emphasized that speech is also a tool for intellectual activity and a means for regulating or organizing human mental processes. The final step of analysis of expressive speech is to form decisions, draw conclusions, abstract, generalize, and think categorically.
The phasic or acoustic aspect of decoding speech involves an acoustical analysis and reduction into phonemes, and necessary articulatory cues, and articulemes, the fundamental speech unit. Then is the lexical-semantic organization of the speech act with morphologic, semantic or otherwise organized groups. After words the sentence is of varying compexity and has narrative speech, which is a transition of thought to speech (cites Vygotsky, 1936).
Receptive speech occurs with first, decoding phonemes in the temporal cortex. They connect strongly to the postcentral and premotor zones and are thus "adapted for the isolation and identification of the fundamental phonemic characteristics." He differs from Wernicke, who had postulated this step as using the temporal lobe for having "sensory images of words." A lesion here causes "acoustico-gnostic aphasia." Luria speculates but does not draw conclusions on a form of aphasia analagous to Lissauer's associative agnosia, in which the phonemic composition is intact, but the recognition of its meaning is not-- that disorder may have to do with speech/visual analyzers and will be dealt with in a subsequent 1972 publication.
Next is comprehension of a whole phrase or speech expression. This depends on retention of all elements of the speech in the speech memory (analagous to a buffer??) . Otherwise various parts of speech will mutually inhibit each other and only part of the speech can be analysed. Second it depends on simulatenous synthesis of all its elements, and the ability to survey it and place it into a logical scheme. This is essential to understanding speech constructions incorporating complex logicogrammatical relationships, with the aid of case endings, words order and inflections, and prepositions, "which Svedelius called the communication of relationships." Luria emphasizes the role of parietooccipital areas as being important in these quaispatial analyses. Third and most important is the ability to actively analyse its most important elements. This requires searching behavior, intention (ie frontal lobes) formation of a program and checking/monitoring.

REPETITION
p. 314
requires 1) auditory perception 2) precise system of articulation (intact lower postcentral gyrus) disintegration of which causes afferent motor aphasia, or disintegration of articulemes, to be differentiated from efferent motor aphasia or Broca's aphasia 3) ability to switch from one articuleme to another or one word to another (inferior premotor cortex is key) 4) The subordination of articulation to programs, and inhibition of irrelevant alternatives. The frontal lobes are key. They must monitor and regulate. Patients may be unable to reproduce nonsense speech. Luria refers us to (in press) Towards the revision of conduction aphasia.

Naming objects p. 316
requires 1) visual perception which if degraded leads to optic aphasia (se Tsvetkova, 1972 (Russian)). 2) precise acoustic structure of speech connected with speech hearing system of left temporal cortex. Damage leads to literal paraphasias, absence of help of prompting. 3) Most important, discovery of the proper selective meaning and the inhibition of irrelevant alternatives. In pathologic states when "law of strength" is not obeyed is most susceptible. 4) Mobility of nervous processes eg. if a name is found, its not frozen, can switch to another name etc. (Left premotor area is key).

Transition to linear scheme of sentence
impaired with postcentral gyrus lesions. Interesting patients who could not do, had no emg of lips and tongue, until external aids were used, when they did have. This is a rehabv strategy-- use pieces of paper in fragments and organize them into a narrative.

Luria describes the inability to use prepositions as transcortical motor aphasia patients can repeat words but not articulate phrases or preserve spontanous speech.