Objectives: Literacy is an important variable that can influence the performance of persons with aphasia on language tasks. This study aimed to generate the literacy-based normative data in two Indian languages (Kannada and Malayalam) for a linguistic tool originally designed for adults with acquired language impairment following brain damage—the Linguistic Profile Test (LPT). Methods: The Kannada and Malayalam versions of LPT were administered on 134 and 127 normal speakers of these languages, respectively. The participants were divided into three literacy groups (nonliterates, semiliterates, and literates). The scores on each section of the test as well as the overall scores were determined, as per the instructions provided in the test material. Results: The influence of literacy was apparent in semantic and syntax sections of the LPT. Participants from nonliterate group performed notably poorly on these two tasks compared to other two groups. Literacy, however, did not show an effect on the “phonology” section of LPT. Conclusion: The literacy-based norms of LPT developed here could improve the sensitivity of clinical evaluation by reducing the “false positives,” especially while evaluating the language skills of nonliterate persons with brain damage.


中文翻译：

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卡纳达语和马拉雅拉姆语语言特征测试中基于识字的老年人规范数据


目标：读写能力是一个重要的变量，可以影响失语症患者在语言任务中的表现。本研究旨在以两种印度语言（卡纳达语和马拉雅拉姆语）生成基于读写能力的规范数据，用于一种语言工具，该工具最初是为脑损伤后获得性语言障碍的成年人设计的——语言特征测试 (LPT)。方法：卡纳达语和马拉雅拉姆语版本的 LPT 分别对 134 和 127 名这些语言的正常使用者进行管理。参与者被分为三个识字组（不识字、半识字和识字）。根据测试材料中提供的说明确定测试每个部分的分数以及总分数。结果：读写能力的影响在 LPT 的语义和句法部分很明显。与其他两组相比，不识字组的参与者在这两项任务上的表现明显较差。然而，读写能力并没有对 LPT 的“音韵”部分产生影响。结论：这里开发的基于读写能力的 LPT 规范可以通过减少“假阳性”来提高临床评估的敏感性，特别是在评估不识字的脑损伤患者的语言技能时。