paraphasia /-fā″zhə/ [Gk, para + phrasein, to utter] , 1. a condition in which a person hears and comprehends words but is unable to speak correctly. Incoherent words are substituted for intended words, thereby creating sentences that are unintelligible. 2. speech that is incoherent, unintelligible, and apparently incomprehensible but may be meaningful when carefully interpreted by a psychotherapist. Also called jargon aphasia, word salad.
