Revealing and quantifying the impaired phonological analysis underpinning impaired comprehension in Wernicke's aphasia

► This study provides the first positive evidence of a link between impaired auditory comprehension in Wernicke's aphasia and disrupted auditory-phonological analysis. ► A novel test of nonword auditory discrimination is introduced. This test enables differentiation of abilities within severely impaired participants. ► Results support traditional theories of Wernicke's aphasia.