Considering Dysarthria: a “marginal” speech disorder The purpose of this article is to describe dysarthria, a language disorder, as a “marginal” disorder. margins" of the category of speech disorders. The argument will be that, since dysarthria shares common underlying neurological causes with motor diseases rather than with other language disorders, it is distinct from other speech disorders. language and evidence for the overlap of the motor modality with the language modality of the most complex functions produced by the human brain, and which is almost transparent to the underlying neurological structures and processes in that there is so much going on. things at the same time that it is difficult to tell what is what What we do know is that there are different areas of representation for different aspects of language An area in the left hemisphere above the. perisylvian fissure in the frontal lobe anterior to the motor cortex roughly controls speech production and fluency; another area, in the temporal lobe of the same hemisphere, roughly controls word comprehension and retrieval. Other regions adjacent to and between these areas have related functions, and their lesions result in variations in the symptoms caused by lesion of one of the central regions described above (1). These areas are known as “language areas”. However, they may be completely intact in a person with severe language disorders. Are there other “linguistic zones” then? Strictly speaking, no, basically, yes. Language is more than a mental function where structures are established, words are retrieved, and sound associations are established. Final language execution is purely a matter of complex motor control. Disruption of this complex interaction of motor signals toward speech formation is known as dysarthria (2). It is sometimes confused with a deficiency resulting from a lesion of the "language areas" (1), illustrating the fact that the process of language production is at several levels and that it is often difficult to say what it is. acts. Symptoms of dysarthria may be slurred speech, nasality of sound, or quiet, slow speech (3). These different impairments reflect subsections of the “motor symphony” that produces speech: the lips, tongue, teeth, and jaw shape specific sounds; the soft palate channels air toward the nasal or oral cavity, producing different sound qualities; the larynx (voice box) vibrates air through the vocal cords to create voice; and finally, the respiratory system powers this process (3).

Essay / Considering Dysarthria: a “marginal” speech disorder The purpose of this article is to describe dysarthria, a language disorder, as a “marginal” disorder. margins" of the category of speech disorders. The argument will be that, since dysarthria shares common underlying neurological causes with motor diseases rather than with other language disorders, it is distinct from other speech disorders. language and evidence for the overlap of the motor modality with the language modality of the most complex functions produced by the human brain, and which is almost transparent to the underlying neurological structures and processes in that there is so much going on. things at the same time that it is difficult to tell what is what What we do know is that there are different areas of representation for different aspects of language An area in the left hemisphere above the. perisylvian fissure in the frontal lobe anterior to the motor cortex roughly controls speech production and fluency; another area, in the temporal lobe of the same hemisphere, roughly controls word comprehension and retrieval. Other regions adjacent to and between these areas have related functions, and their lesions result in variations in the symptoms caused by lesion of one of the central regions described above (1). These areas are known as “language areas”. However, they may be completely intact in a person with severe language disorders. Are there other “linguistic zones” then? Strictly speaking, no, basically, yes. Language is more than a mental function where structures are established, words are retrieved, and sound associations are established. Final language execution is purely a matter of complex motor control. Disruption of this complex interaction of motor signals toward speech formation is known as dysarthria (2). It is sometimes confused with a deficiency resulting from a lesion of the "language areas" (1), illustrating the fact that the process of language production is at several levels and that it is often difficult to say what it is. acts. Symptoms of dysarthria may be slurred speech, nasality of sound, or quiet, slow speech (3). These different impairments reflect subsections of the “motor symphony” that produces speech: the lips, tongue, teeth, and jaw shape specific sounds; the soft palate channels air toward the nasal or oral cavity, producing different sound qualities; the larynx (voice box) vibrates air through the vocal cords to create voice; and finally, the respiratory system powers this process (3).

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