language and the brain Injury to the brain caused by stroke or trauma can disrupt a person's ability to speak, to understand language, or both. Language disorders known as aphasias, resulting from neurological damage, led researchers to examine the relationship between language and the brain. Clinicians and scientists throughout history have observed that language impairments generally result from damage to particular areas of the left cerebral hemisphere, and have suggested that specific parts of the hemisphere are involved in producing and comprehending language.