Symptom 7: Anomia
Anomia marks itself as a defining trait of conduction aphasia. This phenomenon is characterized by a person’s struggle to recall the correct names for objects, people, or places. Individuals can perfectly visualize and understand the entity they wish to refer to, but the specific word seems to be just out of their grasp.
For instance, an individual might want to talk about a bicycle. They might visualize its shape, remember riding one, or even recall the sensation of the wind during a downhill sprint. However, the word ‘bicycle’ eludes them, leaving them in a state of vexation. This situation is akin to having a word on the tip of your tongue but being unable to utter it, a sensation that many of us are familiar with. But for someone with conduction aphasia, this is a persistent and recurring issue that severely impacts their communication.
This inability to access the right word often leads to circumlocutory speech – a common coping mechanism for those with anomia. Circumlocution involves describing an object or person when one cannot recall the exact term. Let’s return to our earlier bicycle example. If the individual cannot remember the word ‘bicycle,’ they might resort to saying, “It’s a thing with two wheels that people ride for fun or to get places.”
While this method can be effective in getting the point across, it is a far cry from the convenience and precision of using the correct word. It’s like using a roundabout on a road when you could’ve taken a direct route. Circumlocution extends conversation length and may potentially cause confusion or misunderstanding, especially when the descriptions are vague or the listener is unfamiliar with the context. (7)
