Phonemic and lexical errors in fluent aphasia: Correlation with lesion site

Comparison of the CT scan findings in two matched groups of fluent aphasics-i.e., 10 with predominantly phonemic speech errors on a naming task and 11 with predominantly lexical errors-showed that phonemic disorders of speech were associated with lesions nearer to the sylvian fissure, while lexical disorders of speech were associated with lesions farther from the sylvian fissure. Two patients in each group had purely deep lesions. The possible significance of these findings is discussed.