Broca Area And Language Production

Language production is our ability to communicate using a symbolic system that we call language. This ability has helped us a lot in our evolution as a species. The fact that we can communicate effectively is what allowed us to work together and create complex societies. Society is also an important part of our survival in a very hostile world. When we look inside the brain, the biological basis for this ability is the Broca area.

An important aspect of our neurological ability to produce language is that it is one-sided. In other words, most brain structures are linked to language in the left half of the brain.

But some studies say that things like jokes, pragmatism and sarcasm come from the right half. Nevertheless, the Broca area (or Brocas area), which deals with language production, is in the left half. More specifically, it is in area 44, according to the theory of the Brodmann areas.

In this article, we will tell you about two basic things you need to know to understand the role of the Broca area in language. The first is its anatomical and functional aspects. The other has to do with Broca’s avasi, which comes from damage to the area.

The anatomy and function of the Broca area

As time has passed, we have begun to realize that the Broca area is not the only area involved in language production. Along with Broadman Area 44, Areas 45, 47 and much of Area 6 also play a major role. That is why it would be more accurate to call it the Broca system.

There is also a division of the Broca system into two large structures: the triangular and the operatic. The triangular structure is located in the frontal part of the Broca area, and the operacular structure is at the back.

On an anatomical level, this system is closely linked to Wernicke’s site. Wernicke’s area plays the main role in understanding language. These two areas (Wernicke and Broca) are connected by a bundle of neurons called the curved fasciculus.

Here are the features of the Broca area:

• Verbal behavioral production, both speech and writing.
• Manage diagrams, phonemes and words to structure grammar and morphology.
• Coordination of the speech organs to regulate pronunciation.
• Regulation of prosody, tone of voice and rhythm of speech.

These features are the pillars that keep our language production up. They are what make it so that we can use language well enough to communicate. Therefore, problems in the Broca area can have serious consequences when using language and communication. In the next section, we will talk about the specific consequences of damage to this brain region.

Brocas avasi

Brocaa’s avasia is a language production disorder that results from damage to the Broca area. Symptoms include slow, forced and non-fluent speech. But even if a person with this disorder has a bad pronunciation, the message they send usually makes sense. Thus we have come to the conclusion that there are no semantic problems with Broca’s avasias.

For anyone with Broca’s avasi, it’s easier to say some kind of word than others. For example , it is more difficult for them to say functional words (one, some, over, of…) than those with meaning.

The reason is that functional words only exist for the sake of grammar, and the Broca area plays a role in that. On the other hand, since their semantics are good, meaningful words are easier for them to say.

Another important aspect of Broca’s avasias is that the ability to understand language remains intact. People with this disorder have no problem reading or listening to someone talk. Wernicke’s area is the brain structure that deals with this neurological process.

There is another fact that gives us confidence that the Broca area is mainly for language production. Although it has connections to other areas, it seems that they continue to work as normal.

Finally, there is a strange process that happens when you destroy the language centers of the brain at an early age. Our brains are incredibly plastic. Therefore, if you destroy your left half, language can develop in your right half instead.

In other words, brain damage before the language is fully developed is not the end of the world. Your brain changes things around so that you can develop normally, or almost normally.