The selected contributions in this volume bring together applications of pragmatics in speech and language pathology, as well as discussions of the applicability of different theoretical strands of the study of human linguistic interaction and its cognitive bases to the field of communication disorders. The authors address practical issues in the classification, assessment and treatment of pragmatic disorders both in developmental and acquired contexts. Further major concerns are the theoretical foundations of clinical pragmatics (such as linguistic pragmatics, functional approaches to language analysis, and cognitive science), and the development of clinical pragmatics.

This book covers different aspects of speech and language pathology and it offers a fairly comprehensive overview of the complexity and the emerging importance of the field, by identifying and re-examining, from different perspectives, a number of standard assumptions in clinical linguistics and in cognitive sciences. The papers encompass different issues in phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, discussed with respect to deafness, stuttering, child acquisition and impairments, SLI, William’s Syndrome deficit, fluent aphasia and agrammatism. The interdisciplinary complexity of the language/cognition interface is also explored by focusing on empirical data from different languages: Bantu, Catalan, Dutch, English, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. The aim of this volume is to stress the growing importance of the theoretical and methodological linguistic tools developed in this area; to bring under scrutiny assumptions taken for granted in recent analyses, which may not be so obvious as they may seem; to investigate how even apparently minimal choices in the description of phenomena may affect the form and complexity of the language/cognition interface.

Clinical Applications of Linguistics to Speech-Language Pathology is a practical guide that provides linguistically grounded approaches to clinical practice. It introduces key linguistic disciplines and discusses how they form a basis for assessment and treatment of individuals with communication differences or disorders. Written by experts in linguistics and communication disorders, each chapter provides clinicians with a foundational understanding of linguistics as it applies to spoken and signed languages and underscores the importance of integrating linguistic theories into clinical decision-making. The book is divided into two parts that focus on the applications of linguistics to speech and language differences and disorders in both children and adults. The chapters cover the full range of linguistic domains including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and sociolinguistics. Applications to a wide range of populations including childhood apraxia of speech, aphasia, dysarthria, traumatic brain injury and accent modification clients are also discussed. Many chapters include assessment and treatment resources that can be used by practicing clinicians. This highly accessible and comprehensive book is an indispensable resource for practicing speech-language pathologists and other members of the profession, including instructors with minimal exposure to linguistics. It will also be beneficial for students of Linguistics, Speech and Hearing Sciences, and Audiology and Speech Language Pathology who are seeking practical knowledge of the fields.

Pragmatics has become an increasingly important topic in speech therapy. This book presents its material in a form accessible to practitioners and addresses the applied areas of most concern to speech therapists.

This reference work is the first to examine pragmatic language disorders of clients in complex and underserved populations. In chapters written by a range of experts, the unique pragmatic language skills of clients are examined, allowing for a broad overview. The text gives focus to client groups ​with complex cognitive and psychiatric problems and children and adults that have been underserved by clinical language services ​because of maltreatment and social exclusion. Pragmatic disorders are examined in ​children ​with sensory loss, children who have been exposed to HIV and substance abuse, and adults with Huntington's disease and other complex neurodegenerative pathologies. This Handbook is an essential reference for researchers and clinicians in speech-language pathology, linguistics, psychology, and education.

This is the first volume to present individual chapters on the full range of developmental and acquired pragmatic disorders in children and adults. In chapters that are accessible to students and researchers as well as clinicians, this volume introduces the reader to the different types of pragmatic disorders found in clinical populations as diverse as autism spectrum disorder, traumatic brain injury and right hemisphere language disorder. The volume also moves beyond these well-established populations to include conditions such as congenital visual impairment and non-Alzheimer dementias, in which there are also pragmatic impairments. Through the use of conversational and linguistic data, the reader can see how pragmatic disorders impact on the communication skills of the clients who have them. The assessment and treatment of pragmatic disorders are examined, and chapters also address recent developments in the neuroanatomical and cognitive bases of these disorders.

In linguistic terms pragmatics covers the whole area of language use and communication in action. It includes the way in which language, gestures and other signals used in everyday situations are applied to patients suffering with impaired communication.

This wide-ranging survey of the state of the art in clinical pragmatics includes an examination of pragmatic disorders in previously neglected populations such as juvenile offenders, children and adults with emotional and behavioural disorders, and adults with non-Alzheimer dementias. This book makes a significant contribution to the discussion of pragmatic disorders by exploring topics which have a fast-rising profile in the field. These topics include disorders in which there are both pragmatic and cognitive components, and studies of the complex impacts of pragmatic disorders such as mental health problems, educational disadvantage and social exclusion. This book also presents a critical evaluation of our current state of knowledge of pragmatic disorders. The author focuses on the lack of integration between theoretical and clinical branches of pragmatics and argues that the work of clinicians is all too often inadequately informed by theoretical frameworks. She attempts to bridge these gaps by pursuing a closer alliance of clinical and theoretical branches of pragmatics. It is claimed that this alliance represents the most promising route for the future development of the field. At once a yardstick measuring progress thus far in clinical pragmatics, and also a roadmap for future research development, this single-author volume defines where we have reached in the field, as well as where we have to go next.​

The first truly multidisciplinary text of its kind, this book offers an original analysis of the current state of linguistic pragmatics. Cummings argues that no study of pragmatics can reasonably neglect the historical and contemporary influences on this discipline of neighboring fields of inquiry, particularly philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, and language pathology. By the same token, these fields can begin to address their own questions more productively by examining the insights of pragmatics. The book's range of topics and depth of analysis will be of interest to advanced undergraduate and more specialized readers in linguistics, communication studies, speech and language therapy, and cognitive science. Topics discussed include: *coverage of pragmatic concepts and theories; *criticisms of Sperber and Wilson's relevance theory, Habermas's theory of communicative competence, and Kasher's views on the modularity of pragmatics; *pragmatic deficits in a range of child and adult language disorders; and *a pragmatic analysis of argumentation in topical issues such as AIDS and BSE theories of meaning, inferences, pragmatics and AI.