Lexical perseveration is the repetition of a previously spoken word that seems to have no obvious relation to new stimuli or subjects.

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There are several types of perseveration specific to aphasia that refer to linguistic difficulties. These linguistic subtypes include semantic perseveration, lexical perseveration, program-of-action perseveration, and phonemic perseveration.

Subtypes of Perseveration

Cahana-Amitay, D., & Albert, M. L. (2015). Redefining recovery from aphasia. Oxford University Press. Retrieved July 9, 2022

Redefining Recovery from Aphasia

Semantic perseveration is when a word used previously is repeated after some semantically relevant word appears or prompts said reaction. 

Semantic Perseveration

Lexical Perseveration

Program-of-action perseveration occurs when an individual provides a response that contains the same initial sound or phoneme(s) as a previous, unrelated response. For example, an individual might be prompted to provide responses that all begin with the sound "re" such as "revise", "remove", "regal", etc. or they may initially make the sound "re/" before providing an appropriate response.

Program-of-Action Perseveration

Phonemic perseveration occurs when an individual with aphasia repeats a particular phoneme/ sound within a given word that was used in a previous word or phrase. This phoneme may occur in any part of the new word provided.

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