Clinical linguistics (original) (raw)

Clinical linguistics: a primer

2013

Clinical linguistics is an important and growing area of language study. Yet, this linguistic discipline has been relatively overlooked in comparison with mainstream branches of linguistics such as syntax and semantics. This paper argues for a greater integration of clinical linguistics within linguistics in general. This integration is warranted, it is argued, on account of the knowledge and methods that clinical linguists share with academics in other areas of linguistics. The paper sets out by discussing a narrow and a broad definition of clinical linguistics before examining key stages in the human communication cycle. This cycle represents the cognitive and linguistic processes involved in the expression and interpretation of utterances. Language and communication disorders are characterized in terms of specific points of breakdown in this cycle. The contribution of each branch of linguistic study--phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics and discourse--to an analysis of language disorders is considered. Data from a range of clinical subjects, both children and adults, is used to illustrate the linguistic features of these disorders. The paper concludes with a summary of the main points of the discussion and a preview of a companion article to be published in the International Journal of Language Studies.

Clinical Linguistics: Critical Concepts in Linguistics (4-Volume Set)

Clinical Linguistics involves the application of linguistic theories and procedures to the study, characterization, and treatment of communicative disorders. Although linguists have long applied their science to a variety of language problems, Clinical Linguistics did not emerge as an autonomous discipline until the publication of Crystal’s influential Clinical Linguistics in 1981. Despite its youth, this specialist area has quickly evolved into a highly productive field of inquiry. From its inception, Clinical Linguistics has had a strong international presence. The field is interdisciplinary, with relevance to theoretical and applied linguistics, speech and language therapy, psychology, and education. The Clinical Linguistics literature has been especially eclectic, appearing in diverse scientific and professional publications. Many of these sources have limited circulation, a fact that challenges individuals and research libraries to maintain a comprehensive collection. The primary aim of this new four-volume Routledge collection is to assemble a representative library of the seminal and the best cutting-edge Clinical Linguistics scholarship. Classic works, as well as state-of-the-art data-based and philosophical articles, are included. Volume I is focused on the foundations of Clinical Linguistics, particularly its conceptual, historic, and theoretical bases; Volume II examines clinical phonetics and speech measurement, and the phonological analysis of disordered speech. Volume III, meanwhile, concentrates on Clinical Linguistics and language disorders. The final volume in the collection is organized around the educational and medical application of Clinical Linguistics, as well as emerging issues and controversies.

Linguistics in the service of communication disorders: New frontiers

Linguistics and Communication Disorders are considered two different disciplines by most students and scholars in both fields as well as by researchers working in other relevant fields such as psychology and education. However, most core disorders, disabilities and delays in communicative ability directly concern language, especially in conjunction with human development from infancy to adulthood, but also as related to the loss of communicative skills in the aging brain. Linguistics thus emerges as a major source of scientific insights and practical applications for the field of communication disorders. While it is obviously impossible to account for the diverse and sometimes contradictory views of linguistics in a single paper, we nonetheless focus on the contribution of novel linguistic and psycholinguistic approaches to the current conceptualization of communication disorders from different perspectives. We first discuss the nature of evidence and research methods in the two disciplines, with the current usage-based and typological approaches to corpus linguistics as a case in point. Consequently, we discuss the interface of linguistics and communication disorders through four contexts which are considered infelicitous to language acquisition and processing. These are, as follows: (i) hearing loss, (ii) language impairment and dyslexia, (iii) growing up in a low socio-economic environment, and (iv) situations of bilingualism.

Chapter 18: The Role of Context in Clinical Linguistics

The Cambridge Handbook of Language and Context, 2023

The goal of this chapter is to examine how the study of language disorders in clinical linguistics intersects with context. For children and adults who have language disorders, context can be both a formidable barrier to communication and a powerful resource for the compensation of impaired receptive and expressive language skills. Context influences clinical assessment and intervention of language, from the selection of evaluation tools to the setting of goals for a client's therapy. This chapter will examine the scope of clinical linguistics and how the field intersects with the closely related profession of speech-language pathology. Language disorders are a significant group of communication disorders which also include speech, hearing, voice and fluency disorders. The relationship between language disorders and communication disorders is addressed. Five context-based themes will be used to examine clinical linguistics: the non-normative use of context in children and adults with language disorder; context as a barrier to, and facilitator of, linguistic communication; the role of context in the language disorders clinic; context and the ecological validity of language assessments; and context in the setting of therapy goals and the generalization of language skills. The discussion concludes with some proposals for how context may be further integrated into clinical linguistics and the work of speech-language pathologists.

A Short History of Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics

Principles of linguistics and phonetics have long been used to characterise, analyse and treat disorders of communication (e.g. Bell, 1867; Shohara and Hanson, 1941; Strauss and McCarus, 1958; Haas, 1963, 1968; Trim, 1963; Corder, 1966; Fry, 1968). Nevertheless, the emergence of clinical linguistics as a recognized specialty area within the language sciences is quite recent. In this paper, we offer a brief history of clinical linguistics and phonetics. In doing so, we also identify some of the critical concepts that motivate this collection and provide a context for reading these papers.

Theory and practice in action: The contributions of Michael Perkins ro clinical Linguistics

This article reviews the scholarly contributions of Michael R. Perkins in the discipline of clinical linguistics and provides some indication of the reasons that he has been so successful. Three primary attributes were described through an analysis of his publications. Clin Linguist Phon Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by 74.80.35.237 on 09/27/13 For personal use only. Contributions of Michael Perkins to clinical linguistics 9 Clin Linguist Phon Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by 74.80.35.237 on 09/27/13 For personal use only.