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Language disorders are part of the history of neuropsychology. They were described as early as the princeps observations of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Deficits in written language production are one of the characteristics of Alzheimer's disease. Semantic memory disorders are also among the symptoms and can occur very early on in the course of the disease. While these deficits are less prevalent than episodic memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease, they predominate the clinical picture of semantic dementia, in which episodic memory is relatively spared. Increased knowledge of the brain alterations characterizing these two neurodegenerative conditions allows for a better understanding of these cognitive impairment profiles.