Affiliations: Member of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Unit,
Department of Neurology, University of São Paulo School of Medicine,
São Paulo, Brazil | Institute of Psychology, Department of Developmental
and Personality Psychology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto
Alegre, Brazil
Abstract: The Japanese language is represented by two different codes:
syllabic and logographic while Portuguese employs an alphabetic writing system.
Studies on bilingual Portuguese-Japanese individuals with acquired dyslexia
therefore allow an investigation of the interaction between reading strategies
and characteristics of three different writing codes. The aim of this study was
to examine the differential impact of an acquired brain lesion on the reading
of the logographic, syllabic and alphabetic writing systems of a bilingual
Portuguese-Japanese aphasic patient (PF). Results showed impaired reading in
the logographic system and when reading irregularly spelled Portuguese words
but no effects on reading regular words and nonwords in syllabic and alphabetic
writing systems. These dissociations are interpreted according to a multi-route
cognitive model of reading assuming selective damage in the lexical route can
result in acquired dyslexia across at least three different writing codes.
