Describing competence in aphasic/normal conversation

This paper discusses the notion of communicative competence, and the application of the methodology of conversation analysis to its description. It is suggested that it is clinically useful to go beyond the consideration of competence as vested in the individual, to the recognition of competence as arising from the interaction. It is also suggested that this latter recognition may relate to the social attribution of communicative competence. Twenty-seven audiotaped 10-15-minute conversations between nine aphasic subjects and 18 normal subjects (nine living with the aphasic subject and nine visitors) were analysed with reference to the proportion of interactive trouble-indicating behaviours used by each partner, and this was compared with subjects' ratings as to their perceived share of the communication workload. The findings suggested that normal and aphasic conversational partners share the perception that the normal partner takes a greater share of the communication workload, and that such attributions of communicative competence may relate, at least in part, to their observed management of conversational repair. It is suggested that the measures used in the present research may provide socially valid measures of clinical outcome.