Michiko Shimizu, SLP, MS, Yoshimi Suzukamo, PhD, Kanae Fujiwara, SLP, PhD, Shin-Ichi
Izumi, MD, PhD
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 2: 63-70, 2011
Purpose: This study was conducted to assess the
involvement of mora segmentation skills in the
auditory comprehension process of aphasic patients.
Methods: Several tests, such as an auditory word
comprehension test, a mora segmentation test (using
meaningful and meaningless words), speech
discrimination test, and verbal short-term memory
test, were conducted in 28 patients with aphasia, owing
to left hemisphere brain damage, who had agreed to
participate in the study.
Results: There was no significant relationship between
mora segmentation skills for meaningful words and
auditory comprehension (F = 0.72, p = 0.407). When
mora types were analyzed separately for comparative
purposes, a significant relationship between auditory
comprehension and mora segmentation skills for
meaningful words, including only a single-kana sound,
was observed (F = 7.50, p < 0.05). However, such a
relationship was not observed with words that include
the sound of kana “n.” There was no significant
difference between meaningful words and meaningless
words in terms of the relationship between mora
segmentation skills and auditory comprehension (total
correct answers for meaningless words: F = 0.03, p =
0.857; meaningless words containing only single-kana
sounds: F = 4.40, p < 0.05).
Conclusions: The results suggest that phoneme
segmentation assists phonological perception during
the process of auditory word comprehension.
Furthermore, it is conceivable that the segmentation
unit involved in this process is a syllable, rather than a
mora; however, this possibility requires further study.
Key words: aphasia, mora segmentation skill, auditory comprehension, phonological perception