In 1874, German neurologistCarl Wernicke identified a distinct language deficit — fluent but meaningless speech — caused by damage to a region in the posterior superior temporal gyrus. This “Wernicke’s area” governs language comprehension, mapping sound to meaning. Together with Broca’s area, it forms the classical model of language processing, with Broca’s handling output and Wernicke’s decoding input. Their connection through the arcuate fasciculus supports the continuous loop of listening, understanding, and responding. Modern imaging has revealed a broader temporo-parietal networksupporting semantics and narrative comprehension, but Wernicke’s insight remains one of neuroscience’s foundational moments.