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Center for Language Science Speaker Series: Faranak Kianfar

Friday, January 23, 2026
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library
Center for Language Science Speaker Series: Faranak Kianfar
Adaptation and Norming of Abstract Semantic Associative Network Training (AbSANT) Materials to the Persian Language

Aphasia, often marked by anomia, affects communication, especially when abstract words are impaired. Abstract words form a large portion of everyday vocabulary; their loss significantly affects expression and comprehension. Most anomia therapies emphasize concrete words, but the Abstract Semantic Associative Network Training (AbSANT) approach targets abstract words and promotes generalization to concrete ones. Its bilingual version (BAbSANT) has been successfully adapted to several languages, yet no version addresses Persian-speaking persons with aphasia (PWA). This study developed culturally and linguistically appropriate materials to extend BAbSANT for Persian speakers. Twenty-eight native Persian-speaking adults (ages 23–66) without neurological or language disorders participated remotely. Participants generated as many abstract and concrete words as possible within two to three minutes in ten thematic categories and then rated each category’s cultural relevance on a five-point scale. Analyses included average word counts per category, overlapping words across categories, abstract-to-concrete ratios based on English concreteness norms, and correlations between word generation and cultural relevance ratings. Participants produced many words across categories, and cultural relevance ratings were generally moderate to high, suggesting that all categories were meaningful and suitable for therapy use. There was a non-significant negative correlation between word count and cultural relevance. Wedding, Holiday, School, and Home were rated as most culturally relevant. The strong abstract-to-concrete word ratios across categories indicate that these materials are suitable for a Persian version of BAbSANT.

 

Faranak Kianfar stands before a tree wearing a striped shirt.
Faranak Kianfar stands before a tree wearing a striped shirt.
Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library

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