Abstract
Background: Semantic fluency tasks are widely used to assess lexical – semantic retrieval in healthy aging and aphasia; however, growing evidence indicates that semantic organization is influenced by culturally grounded lexical experience. Prior cross- linguistic work suggests that Korean speakers rely on culture- specific semantic schemas – such as zodiac animals – during animal fluency, yet it remains unclear how such differences manifest in retrieval strategies or semantic network structure in aging and aphasia.
Aims: The current study investigated cross-linguistic differences in clustering, switching, and semantic network structure during animal fluency in English- and Korean-speaking older adults (OA) and persons with aphasia (PWA).
Methods & Procedures: Participants included English- and Korean- speaking OA (n = 30) and PWA (n = 67). All participants completed a one-minute animal fluency task. Clustering and switching were computed using SNAFU, and group-level semantic networks were constructed using co-occurrence – based Semantic Network Analysis. Global graph metrics – average shortest path length (ASPL), clustering coefficient (CC), and modularity (Q) – were compared across language groups.
Outcomes & Results: Behaviorally, English- and Korean-OA produced comparable total number of correct responses; however, English-OA generated significantly larger cluster sizes than Korean- OA. In PWA, English speakers produced significantly more correct items and significantly more switches than Korean speakers. Semantic network analyses revealed that Korean-OA networks demonstrated significantly longer ASPL, significantly lower CC, and significantly higher Q relative to English-OA. In PWA, Korean speakers also exhibited significantly longer ASPL than English speakers, indicating reduced global connectivity. Together, these results demonstrate that significant cross-linguistic differences in semantic network structure are evident in healthy aging and remain observable in aphasia.
Q&A with Author: Junyoung Shin
What is this paper about and why are the results important?
As the first study to directly compare semantic networks in cross-linguistic aphasia using a verbal fluency task, this paper explores cross-linguistic differences in animal fluency between English- and Korean-speaking older adults and individuals with aphasia, using both behavioral measures and semantic network analysis. While older adults in both languages produced a similar number of words, English speakers generated larger clusters and showed more integrated and efficient semantic networks (e.g., shorter path lengths, higher clustering). In contrast, Korean speakers showed more segmented network structures, which were associated with smaller clusters and less efficient transitions between categories. These differences became more pronounced in aphasia, where Korean speakers produced fewer words and switched less frequently than English speakers. Importantly, our findings show that total word count alone can miss meaningful differences in how semantic knowledge is organized and accessed. This highlights the value of incorporating network-based and culturally informed measures for more accurate assessment and interpretation of language performance.
How do the findings relate to the brain and recovery?
Our findings show that differences in semantic network structure can directly influence how lexical retrieval breaks down and recovers in the brain. In particular, Korean speakers showed more segmented networks with longer path lengths, meaning that accessing related concepts requires more steps and offers fewer efficient pathways. While this did not always affect overall performance in older adults, it became more evident in aphasia, where these structural constraints were associated with reduced switching and lower word output. This suggests that recovery is shaped not only by neural damage, but also by the underlying organization of the semantic network in each language. As a result, the same brain injury may lead to different patterns of impairment and recovery depending on the language, highlighting the need for language-specific approaches to assessment and rehabilitation.
Shin, J., Scimeca, M., Li, R., Kiran, S., & Sung, J. E. (2026). Cross-linguistic differences in the semantic networks for animal fluency between English and Korean speakers with and without aphasia. Aphasiology, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2026.2648119
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