Getting words off the tip of your tongue
At one point or another, most of us experience hunting for a word we feel is just beyond our grasp. But is this a normal part of aging, or is it something to worry about?
Known as the tip of the tongue phenomenon, this common, annoying feature of our speech can be frustrating. We know what we want to say, what the word we want means and maybe even what some of the sounds or syllables are. But we just can’t find the word we’re looking for.
And as we get older, this tends to happen to us more often.
In typical aging, we might occasionally struggle to find our words, but get them eventually. But if things like this happen frequently and disrupt your ability to participate in regular conversations, it’s worth mentioning to your doctor.
It can be difficult to tease apart whether you’re having trouble with language because you can’t find the words you’re looking for or if there might be something else at play, like changes with your hearing or comprehension.
In typical aging, it’s normal to experience a range of changes to your speech and language abilities.
Some of the changes are good, like developing an expanded vocabulary. For example, people in their 60s generally have better vocabularies than 30-somethings.
We also become better at using context and abstract words that
we’ve acquired throughout our lives.
Unfortunately, there are some less pleasant changes, too. We might use more filler words to keep conversation going at times when we don’t have a word at our disposal. An example of this might be calling something a “thingamabob” or a “whatchamacallit” when we can’t remember the item’s actual name. Words like these have no meaning but help us keep a conversation flowing.
Or, we might substitute one word for another, like saying sugar when we really mean salt.
When we can’t find our words quickly enough, we might also rely more heavily on indefinite words like “this, ““that” or “thing.”
We also tend to hesitate more often and use small filler words.
Filler words like “um” and “uh”can be related to difficulty finding the words we’re looking for.
As a researcher, my goal is to help people maintain their ability to communicate. One of the conditions I study is progressive aphasia, a rare neurodegenerative disorder that deprives people of their ability to communicate. In this language-based dementia, the loss of language and speech are the first and most prominent features.
With a few of my colleagues, I’m preparing to launch a new online tool called Words at your Fingertips in the next few months. The website will feature modules for information and public education, language games and activities, as well as self-assessment and practical solutions to address word-finding problems.
Once it’s live online, the site will also help you determine whether you might want to consider talking to your doctor or a speech-language pathologist like me.
In the meantime, here are some ideas you or your loved ones might find helpful.
Depending on what you might struggle with, strategies can be related to the length, sound or meaning of various words.
For example, my first name is Regina — spelled the same way as Saskatchewan’s capital, Regina. So, one could associate that province with my name to help them remember it.
My name is helpful to me in remembering other words. My first language is Polish, but for the longest time I couldn’t remember the word for shark. Eventually, I associated it with my name, Regina — in Polish, the word for shark is “rekin.” Because they sound similar in Polish, that helped me remember.
It might also be helpful to associate a word with something you can visualize or hear or feel. Maybe it’s calling to mind a word from another language, a phrase, the first sound or letter, situation or event that will evoke a word you’re searching for. For instance, to get to the word “rite” I think of Stravinsky’s ballet, “Rite of Spring,” I know the word I need is in that title and the context of the title helps in successful retrieval.
Our brain builds those helpful associations, sometimes without our conscious effort.
There’s no single strategy that works for everyone, so it’s important to find the ones that work for you.
It’s important to be aware of any new challenges with your speech because the earlier you catch these kinds of problems, the better position you’ll be in to maintain your communication skills.
Regina Jokel is an assistant professor in the department of speech-language pathology at the University of Toronto’s faculty of medicine. She is also a speech-language pathologist at Baycrest Health Science’s Sam and Ida Ross Memory Clinic and a clinician-associate at the Rotman Research Institute. Jokel will deliver a free public lecture on language in healthy aging and dementia on May 24 at 6 p.m. at 500 University Ave. (University of Toronto Rehabilitation Sciences Building). Doctors’ Notes is a weekly column by members of the U of T Faculty of Medicine. Email doctorsnotes@thestar.ca.