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Pragmatics in discourse performance: insights from aphasiology.
Hanna K Ulatowska1, Gloria Streit Olness
1Callier Center for Communication Disorders, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
Seminars in Speech and Language
|April 12, 2007
Summary
Individuals with aphasia demonstrate preserved pragmatic abilities in personal narratives. Discourse coherence, achieved through narrative structure and evaluation, highlights these abilities.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Neurology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Aphasia often impacts language production and comprehension.
- Pragmatic abilities, crucial for effective communication, can be affected by aphasia.
- Discourse coherence is a key linguistic construct for analyzing pragmatic skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the preservation of pragmatic abilities in individuals with aphasia.
- To utilize discourse coherence as a framework for understanding pragmatic preservation.
- To analyze personal narratives as a source of insight into pragmatic abilities in aphasia.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of personal narratives produced by individuals with aphasia.
- Focus on discourse coherence as a measure of pragmatic ability.
- Identification of coherence-maintaining strategies within narratives.
Main Results:
- Individuals with aphasia can maintain discourse coherence in personal narratives.
- Coherence is achieved through structured event lines, thematic development, and evaluative elements.
- Narrative structure and information highlighting are key to pragmatic preservation.
Conclusions:
- Pragmatic abilities in individuals with aphasia are often preserved, particularly in narrative discourse.
- Discourse coherence serves as a valuable indicator of these preserved abilities.
- Clinical assessments can incorporate narrative analysis and global rating systems.
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