From agrammatism to paragrammatism: German aphasiological traditions and grammatical disturbances

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Abstract
This paper traces the evolution of research on grammatical disturbances in aphasia at the turn of the 19th century in Germany. The review demonstrates that the distinction between agrammatism and paragrammatism was not theoretically founded, and that empirical problems with the dichotomy were generally recognised. Moreover, there was no consensus on the psychological mechanisms nor on the lesion localisation. Contemporary clinical and psycholinguistic research, however, is based on a historical transmission which takes the dichotomy of the grammatical disturbances and their syndrome and lesion association for granted. Present research might be better served by no awareness of history than by only partial knowledge. Alternatively, a deeper awareness of historical problems might lead to the formulation of better strategies and constraints for contemporary research.