Résumé
Verbal repetition, consisting in the conversion of an auditory input into an articulatory output, is a deceptively simple linguistic skill, involving a complex set of lexical-semantic and sub lexical-phonological linguistic processes, suggesting a dual-route model of processing in which the two routes interact albeit at various degrees depending on the nature of the verbal input to be repeated. Repetition abilities are shown to be linked to language development, and predictive of language recovery in acquired pathological conditions. Neural bases of verbal repetition highlight the crucial role of the dorsal phonological network in this ability, involving a distributed set of peri-sylvian cortical regions, underlain by the AF-SLF, interacting with the ventral semantic network. Furthermore, lesional studies in the context of brain tumor suggest that damage to this dorsal network, and seemingly to the postero-superior part of the AF especially, is particularly deleterious for phonological processing and predictive of postoperative long-term language impairment. Finally, non-word repetition tasks seem to be more sensitive than real-word repetition or naming tasks in detecting phonological disorders. As repetition abilities appear to be critical for language processing and recovery, we conclude by proposing a relevant protocol that may be used for intraoperative mapping of verbal repetition.