Since the brain is an important prerequisite for human language there is a great interest to gain more knowledge about healthy brain activity during language mediated communication. This study examines variations in high level Language ability relating to demographic factors like gender and age and relates Language ability to neural activity.Eighteen individuals in ages between 22 and 64 were included and divided into groups in relation to gender and age. The material used to assess Language ability was derived from Testbatteri för Bedömning av Subtila Språkstörningar (Laakso, Brunnegård, Hartelius & Ahlsén, 2000), Swedish Lexical Decision Test (Almkvist, Adveen, Henning & Tallberg, 2007) and a reading test (Högskoleprovet). The results were correlated with measured brain activity using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and language paradigms. ANOVA was applied to discover possible demographic variances in Language ability as well as in brain activity.The results showed no significant differences in Language ability.

Prosody is the melody and rhythm of speech and language. Prosodic ability is of great importance for communication, and has been shown to be affected in adults with acquired brain injury. Studies have shown that Swedish children with specific language impairment have prosodic  difficulties to a greater extent than e.g. English speaking peers. It is thereby possible that prosodic ability is more vulnerable also in Swedish speaking adults with acquired brain injury.The aim of the present study was to assess prosodic ability in adults with acquired brain injury, and to evaluate the prosodic assessment procedure that was used.

Swedish as second language: A qualitative Study of Teachers view of pupils learning ability the Swedish language as the second language.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on Language ability in eight participants with aphasia. All participants underwent two periods of treatment and five periods of evaluation. During one treatment period high frequency stimulation was given to the left hemisphere and low frequency stimulation to the right and in one other period placebo stimulation was given. Boston Naming Test and Token Test were used to assess the effects of treatment on naming ability and language comprehension. Results showed that no significant effects were found on group level.

AbstractMy purpose with this essey is to study how they work in preschool whir language- stimulation. I will try a way to work with this trough intervjus whit teacher at preschool. My main questions are: Way dose teachers use language- stimulation? How dose teachers use language- stimulation when it comes to there way of working and methods? Do the teachers think that language- stimulation help the childrens development?To answer these questions I interviewed 6 teachers I central Sweden and used this as data. I have written about language, language- development in a biologik and theoretical aspect, teachers plan, language- stimulation, playing by language sounds and TRAS (early registration of language development) in my literary review.My result shows that working whit language- stimulation helps children in there language- development, it also develops there self-image and identity.

Generally prosody is described as the rhythmic, dynamic and melodic features of language. Prosody is further often described as suprasegmental, since its properties go beyond vowels and consonants, which are segmental characteristics of language. A relationship between prosody and music has been noticed and described for several decades. At present, there are several studies proving relationship between prosodic and musical abilities. The aim of the present study was to construct a test for prosodic non-linguistic perception and production regarding intonation and rhythm. The test was tried out on 16 children with typical language development aged 4;6-7;6 years. Before testing of ITAP each participant were asked about musical experience.

AbstractThis essay deals with young people?s written language. It is often said that the student?s ability to write is worse today compared to earlier generations. The written language is an important condition for knowledge, therefore it is of great importance that all students, after finished secondary- and upper secondary school, have acquired an adequate language which is suitable in the public room.The fact that young people?s language is worse than earlier generations is a constantly recurrent assertion and often debated in school.

The aim of this study is to observe Swedish preschool children in their natural habitat and without any intervention. Four different observations are made and thereafter analyzed. Throughout the whole study the subject of interest is the children's communication in their play. Children can communicate with each other in various ways, for instance with speech and without speech, i.e. with their physical language, aesthetic and multi language.

The purpose of this essay is to describe how preschool teachers think about language stimulation and how they work with it when it comes to small children in preschool. My research questions were:? What kind of methods do the preschool teachers use? And what kind of work procedure do they have?? Is there any difference in the work procedure when it comes to daily routines and playtime?? How do the preschool teachers describe their work procedure with language stimulation?To be able to reach my purpose and answer my questions, I decided to make a case study. I have made observations of the preschool teachers and how they work and I have made interviews. The material that I have used, beside observations and interviews, is literature that is about earlier research about this matter.The result of the study shows that the preschool teachers considers their work with language stimulation as part of everything they do.

Speech intervention for children with language impairment aims to both strengthen specific language skills and to reinforce the ability to participate in interactional contexts. Children with language impairment often have problems in interaction; therefore the contributions of the conversational partner are of great importance. Thus, the demands are high on the speech and language pathologist (SLP) for sense and cohesion in intervention. The aim of the present study was to examine how SLPs and children with language impairment interact in language intervention. An approach influenced by Conversation Analysis was used in order to identify various phenomena that occurred, and their effect on the structure of the interaction was analyzed.Four SLPs, two men and two women, were enrolled in the study.  They participated in intervention with two children with language impairment each, i.e.

The study focuses on the use of poetry in language teaching in the lower grades in the Swedish school. Poetry has a reputation of being an art form with such specific rules and structures that children and teachers think that it is something that they do not have the ability to work with.  The purpose of this study is to get an understanding of how poetry is used in educating children. My research is based on the following questions. To which extent is poetry being used in schools and how is it being used?Can you as a teacher see any effects on childrens language development by using poetry?As a part of my study I have met with and interviewed four different people, who in one way or another is involved in teaching children. Two working teachers in the lower grades, one pedagogical resource and one artist that work with teachers in reaching different goals through the help of aesthetic processes.

In previous studies there has been indications that multilingualism has a delaying effect of the onset of dementia and damage on cognitive abilities (Bialystok et al., 2007; De Bot & Makoni, 2005, s. 58). Cognitive abilities refers to memory, attention, language, abstract thinking and understandings among other things (Läkemedelsverket). Other studies have seen that individuals with Alzheimer's disease (Swedish abbreviation AS from here on) have difficulties with managing a conversation (Hyltenstam & Stroud 1989). This study aims to describe the topic treatment in bilingual individuals with AS and compare their different languages.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand and examine the problem andreason why second language pupils have difficulties reaching the goals of thecurriculum in ?Swedish as a second language?. The study is based on interviews withtwo second language teachers and Vygotskijs and Antonovskys theories. The interviewswith teachers gave a broader view on why these difficulties exist and whatconsequences might occur. This analysis shows that there can be different reasons as towhy pupils can not reach the goals in their second language that are set for them.

Previous research has confirmed that the ability to repeat non-words has a close connection to a child?s language acquisition (Adams & Gathercole, 2000; Gray, 2003; Sahlén, Reuterskiöld-Wagner, Nettelbladt & Radeborg, 1999). It is also known that a repetition task is aided if the word is well known to the child (Roy & Chiat, 2004; Sahlén, m.fl., 1999). A relatively under-investigated area is that of the influence of prosodic variables on repetition of words and non-words.In the current study, 44 Swedish children between the ages of four and six years with typical language development were tested regarding word- and non-word repetition abilities. The words and non-words were matched based on stress, tonal word accent and number of syllables.

The present project is a first step towards a new Swedish assessment tool to examine phonological ability in preschool-aged children. The work consisted of developing a word list with words that was considered to reveal a child?s phonological ability and to try out the word list on pre-school children. The reason was to make sure that the words existed in the vocabulary of the children in the chosen ages. A word list consisting of 109 words, which convey relevant phonological information, was created.