global aphasia

[ gloh-buhl uh-fey-zhuh ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. a type of aphasia associated with damage to the left perisylvian cortex in the brain, in which both comprehension and production of spoken, written, or signed language is severely impaired and usually limited to a single word or a very small set of words, uttered with varying intonation and prosody to convey meaning.

Word History and Origins

Origin of global aphasia¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

If a person has suffered damage to extensive portions of the language-controlling areas of the brain, that condition is known as global aphasia.

From Salon

The stroke destroyed so many areas of West's brain that it rendered him unable to speak words or even understand them, an extreme condition called global aphasia.

From Seattle Times

Thus it was particularly tragic when, in 2003, West suffered a stroke that left him with global aphasia: an inability to produce words or to understand words spoken to him.

From New York Times