Symptom 3: Phonemic Paraphasia
Diving into the third symptom of conduction aphasia, we encounter another speech-related anomaly: phonemic paraphasia. In this scenario, individuals replace or transpose sounds in words, leading to the utterance of words similar but not identical to the intended ones.
Phonemic paraphasia can be easily mistaken for slips of the tongue, which we all experience from time to time. However, in the case of conduction aphasia, it’s a recurrent issue that affects normal conversation.
It’s crucial to understand that these phonetic substitutions are not random. They often involve phonemes or sounds that are acoustically similar to the ones in the intended word. For instance, a person might say “tup” instead of “cup.”
While these substitutions may seem minor, they can significantly disrupt the individual’s ability to communicate effectively. It often leads to frustration, as the person can comprehend language perfectly but fails to reproduce the correct phonemes in their speech.(3)
