On pathological speech: The history of a symptomatic repetition

Abstract

This paper discusses the assertion that speech pathologies have been left out of linguistic reflections. The aim of such a discussion is to enlighten some of the reasons for the marginal status of pathological speech in that scientific domain. It is argued that the linguists’ ideal of homogeneity and predictability, which led to the production of grammars, plays a fundamental role. The question concerning how symptomatic speech is addressed in clinical practice is also raised. It could be attested that in the clinical literature neither speech, nor the subject-speaker is dealt with in theoretical terms. The point is: “how can consistent speech-therapy clinical reasoning be promoted if reflection on language is excluded?”. It is argued that a theoretical discourse on language is of capital importance for the building up of consistent clinical approaches to symptomatic speech.