Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T20:51:57.652Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

18 - The Role of Context in Clinical Linguistics

from Part IV - Applications of Context Studies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 November 2023

By
Louise Cummings
Edited by
Jesús Romero-Trillo
Jesús Romero-Trillo
Affiliation:
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Get access

Summary

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. 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 nonnormative 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.

Keywords

clinical linguisticslanguage assessmentlanguage disorderspeech-language pathology
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Language in Context , pp. 393 - 416
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abusamra, V., Côté, H., Joanette, Y., and Ferreres, A. (2009). Communication impairments in patients with right hemisphere damage. Life Span and Disability, 12(1), 67–82.Google Scholar
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). (1997–2020). The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). www.asha.org/slp/icf/ (accessed September 29, 2020).Google Scholar
Beeke, S., Beckley, F., Best, W., Johnson, F., Edwards, S., and Maxim, J. (2013). Extended turn construction and test question sequences in the conversations of three speakers with agrammatic aphasia. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 27(10–11), 784–804.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Byles, J. (2005). The epidemiology of communication and swallowing disorders. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 7(1), 1–7.Google Scholar
Cannito, M. P., Jarecki, J. M., and Pierce, R. S. (1986). Effects of thematic structure on syntactic comprehension in aphasia. Brain and Language, 27(1), 38–49.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chakrabarty, M., Sarkar, S., Chatterjee, A., Ghosal, M., Guha, P., and Deogaonkar, M. (2014). Metaphor comprehension deficit in schizophrenia with reference to the hypothesis of abnormal lateralization and right hemisphere dysfunction. Language Sciences, 44, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Champagne-Lavau, M., Cordonier, N., Bellmann, A., and Fossard, M. (2018). Context processing during irony comprehension in right-frontal brain-damaged individuals. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 32(8), 721–738.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Colle, L., Angeleri, R., Vallana, M., Sacco, K., Bara, B. G., and Bosco, F. M. (2013). Understanding the communicative impairments in schizophrenia: A preliminary study. Journal of Communication Disorders, 46(3), 294–308.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cronin, P., Reeve, R., McCabe, P., Viney, R., and Goodall, S. (2017). The impact of childhood language difficulties on healthcare costs from 4 to 13 years: Australian longitudinal study. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 19(4), 381–391.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crystal, D. (1981). Clinical Linguistics. Vienna: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crystal, D. (1997). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Cummings, L. (2009). Clinical Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cummings, L. (2013). Clinical pragmatics and theory of mind. In Capone, A., Lo Piparo, F., and Carapezza, M. (eds.), Perspectives on Linguistic Pragmatics (Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology, Vol. 2) (pp. 23–56). Cham: Springer International Publishing AG.Google Scholar
Cummings, L. (2014a). Clinical linguistics. In Aronoff, M. (ed.), Oxford Bibliographies in Linguistics. New York: Oxford University Press. www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199772810/obo-9780199772810-0079.xml (accessed January 26, 2021).Google Scholar
Cummings, L. (2014b). Pragmatic Disorders. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cummings, L. (2014c). Pragmatic disorders and theory of mind. In Cummings, L. (ed.), Cambridge Handbook of Communication Disorders (pp. 559–577). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cummings, L. (2017). Pragmatic disorders in forensic settings. In Poggi, F. and Capone, A. (eds.), Pragmatics and Law (Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology, Vol. 10) (pp. 349–377). Cham: Springer International Publishing AG.Google Scholar
Cummings, L. (2018). Speech and Language Therapy: A Primer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Cummings, L. (2020). Language in Dementia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cummings, L. (2021). Language Case Files in Neurological Disorders. New York: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawson, D. R., and Marcotte, T. D. (2017). Editorial: Special issue on ecological validity and cognitive assessment. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 27(5), 599–602.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Villiers, J., Myers, B., and Stainton, R. J. (2012). Differential pragmatic abilities and autism spectrum disorders: The case of pragmatic determinants of literal content. In Macaulay, M. and Garcés-Conejos, P. (eds.), Pragmatics and Context. Toronto, CA: Antares.Google Scholar
Enderby, P., and Pickstone, C. (2005). How many people have communication disorders and why does it matter? Advances in Speech-Language Pathology, 7(1), 8–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harper, A. S., Cherney, L. R., and Burns, M. A. (2010). Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Evaluation of Communication Problems in Right Hemisphere Dysfunction (RICE-3). Chicago: Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.Google Scholar
Hough, M. S., Pierce, R. S., and Cannito, M. P. (1989). Contextual influences in aphasia: Effects of predictive versus nonpredictive narratives. Brain and Language, 36(2), 325–334.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Isaki, E. and Turkstra, L. (2000). Communication abilities and work re-entry following traumatic brain injury. Brain Injury, 14(5), 441–453.Google ScholarPubMed
Kagan, A. (1998). Supported conversation for adults with aphasia: Methods and resources for training conversation partners. Aphasiology, 12(9), 816–830.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kindell, J., Keady, J., Sage, K., and Wilkinson, R. (2017). Everyday conversation in dementia: A review of the literature to inform research and practice. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 52(4), 392–406.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levorato, M.C., Roch, M., and Beltrame, R. (2009). Text comprehension in Down syndrome: The role of lower and higher level abilities. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 23(4), 285–300.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lock, S., Wilkinson, R., and Bryan, K. (2001). SPPARC: Supporting Partners of People with Aphasia in Relationships and Conversations. Bicester: Winslow Press.Google Scholar
Loukusa, S., Leinonen, E., Jussila, K., Mattila, M.-L., Ryder, N., Ebeling, H., and Moilanen, I. (2007). Answering contextually demanding questions: pragmatic errors produced by children with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. Journal of Communication Disorders, 40(5), 357–381.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCardle, P., and Wilson, B. (1993). Language and development in FG syndrome with callosal agenesis. Journal of Communication Disorders, 26(2), 83–100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meulenbroek, P., Bowers, B., and Turkstra, L. S. (2016). Characterizing common workplace communication skills for disorders associated with traumatic brain injury: A qualitative study. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 44(1), 15–31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nimmon, L., and Stenfors-Hayes, T. (2016). The “handling” of power in the physician-patient encounter: Perceptions from experienced physicians. BMC Medical Education, 16(114), 1–9. doi: 10.1186/s12909-016-0634-0.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perkins, L., Whitworth, A., and Lesser, R. (1997). Conversation Analysis Profile for People with Cognitive Impairments (CAPPCI). London: Whurr.Google Scholar
Pierce, R. S., and Beekman, L. A. (1985). Effects of linguistic and extralinguistic context on semantic and syntactic processing in aphasia. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 28(2), 250–254.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pierce, R. S., and Wagner, C. M. (1985). The role of context in facilitating syntactic decoding in aphasia. Journal of Communication Disorders, 18(3), 203–213.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thal, D. J., and Tobias, S. (1992). Communicative gestures in children with delayed onset of oral expressive vocabulary. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 35(6), 1281–1289.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomas, P. (1997). What can linguistics tell us about thought disorder? In France, J. and Muir, N. (eds.), Communication and the Mentally Ill Patient: Developmental and Linguistic Approaches to Schizophrenia (pp. 30–42). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Google Scholar
Titone, D., Levy, D. L., and Holzman, P. S. (2000). Contextual insensitivity in schizophrenic language processing: Evidence from lexical ambiguity. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109(4), 761–767.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turner, S., and Whitworth, A. (2006). Conversational partner training programmes in aphasia: A review of key themes and participants’ roles. Aphasiology, 20(6), 483–510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Nispen, K., Mieke, W. M. E., van de Sandt-Koenderman, E., and Krahmer, E. (2018). The comprehensibility of pantomimes produced by people with aphasia. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 53(1), 85–100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waller, M. R., and Darley, F. L. (1978). The influence of context on the auditory comprehension of paragraphs by aphasic subjects. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 21(4), 732–745.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whitehouse, A. J. O., Watt, H. J., Line, E. A., and Bishop, D. V. M. (2009a). Adult psychosocial outcomes of children with specific language impairment, pragmatic language impairment and autism. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 44(4), 511–528. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whitehouse, A. J. O., Line, E. A., Watt, H. J., and Bishop, D. V. M. (2009b). Qualitative aspects of developmental language impairment relate to language and literacy outcome in adulthood. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 44(4), 489–510.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whiting, E., Copland, D., and Angwin, A. (2005). Verb and context processing in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 18(3), 259–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiener, D., Connor, L. T., and Obler, L. (2004). Inhibition and auditory comprehension in Wernicke’s aphasia. Aphasiology, 18(5–7), 599–609.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiig, E. H., and Secord, W. A. (2014). Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals. Fifth Edition. Metalinguistics. San Antonio, TX: Pearson.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (2001). International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Geneva: World Health Organization.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (2019). International Classification of Diseases, 11th ed. Geneva: World Health Organization.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×