Right Hemisphere and Language

Resumo

The purpose of this paper is to present a review of literature on the role of the right hemisphere in language processing, more specifically, in reading comprehension. The review is organized in three main sections. First, some context that may explain why the right hemisphere has been neglected until the past decades when one considered language comprehension and production is presented. Secondly, the contributions originated from clinical observations and empirical research with brain-lesioned and normal participants, highlighting and distinguishing the role of the right side of the brain are discussed. Then, in the final part of this paper, the contributions of technological tools to the development and refinement of brain studies are addressed, showing that the right hemisphere works conjointly with its other half, so that reading comprehension is achieved.