This book brings together international, linguistic research with a focus on interaction in multilingual encounters involving people with dementia in care and healthcare settings. The methodologies used (Conversation Analysis, Ethnography and Discursive Constructionism) capture practices on the micro-level, revealing how very subtle details may be of critical importance for the everyday well-being of participants with dementia, particularly in settings and contexts where there is a lack of a common verbal language of interlocutors, or where language abilities have been lost as a result of dementia. Chapters analyse the practices and actions employed by interlocutors to facilitate mutual understanding, enhance high-quality social relations and assure optimal care and treatment, in spite of language and cognitive difficulties, with an emphasis put on the participants’ remaining capacities, and what can be achieved between people with dementia and their interlocutors in a collaborative fashion. This book goes beyond the study of two-party communication to address multiparty and group interactions which are common in residential care and other healthcare settings and will be of interest to professionals and policy makers as well as to medical sciences and linguistics researchers and students.

In this book different aspects of language and aging are discussed. While language spoken by and language spoken with elderly people have been treated as different areas of research, it is argued here that from a dynamical system perspective the two are closely interrelated. In addition to overviews of research on language and aging, a number of projects on this topic in multilingual settings are presented.

An authoritative overview of language and speech disorders, featuring new and updated chapters written by leading specialists from across the field The Handbook of Speech and Language Disorders, Second Edition, provides timely and authoritative coverage of current issues, foundational principles, and new research directions within the study of communication disorders. Building upon the reputation of the landmark first edition, this volume offers an exceptionally broad and in-depth survey of the field, presenting original chapters by internationally recognized specialists that examine an array of language, speech, and cognitive disorders and discuss the most crucial aspects of this evolving discipline while providing practical information on analytical methods and assessment. Now in its second edition, the Handbook features extensively revised and refocused content throughout, reflecting the latest advances in the field. Original and updated chapters explore diverse topics including literacy and literacy impairments, patterns of normal and disordered language development, hearing impairment and cochlear implants, language acquisition and language delay, dementia, dysarthria, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and many others. This acclaimed single-volume reference resource: Provides 26 original chapters which describe the latest in new research and which indicate future research directions Covers new developments in research since the original publication of the first edition Features in-depth coverage of the major disorders of language and speech, including new insights on perception, hearing impairment, literacy, and genetic syndromes Includes a series of foundational chapters covering a variety of important general principles, including labelling, diversity, intelligibility, assessment, and intervention The Handbook of Speech and Language Disorders, Second Edition, is essential reading for researchers, scholars, and students in speech and language pathology, speech, language and hearing sciences, and clinical llinguistics, as well as active practitioners and clinicians.

Traditionally, dementia has been defined primarily in terms of loss: loss of cognitive and communicative competencies, loss of identity, loss of personal relationships. People living with dementia have been portrayed as increasingly dependent on others, with their loved ones seen more as care givers than as spouses, children and relatives. However, in the last two decades this view of the person living with dementia as an 'empty vessel' has been increasingly challenged, and the focus has shifted from one of care to one of helping people to live with dementia. With contributions from an international range of expert authors, Living with Dementia strongly advocates this new perspective through in-depth discussion of what people with dementia and their loved ones can do, and how they can actively make use of remaining resources. Topics covered include: - How to involve people with dementia in collaborative activities in the home, and the benefits this has on their cognitive and communicative abilities. - Ways in which identity can be presented and preserved through storytelling, and the impact on identity of moving from home into residential care. - The benefits of a 'citizenship' approach to dementia: of recognising that a person living with dementia is an active agent, with the right to self-determination and the ability to exert power over their own lives. This important new contribution to the dementia debate is truly enlightening reading for students across the full range of health and social care disciplines, and offers a fresh perspective to existing practitioners and those who care for people with dementia.

Discourse Analysis in Adults With and Without Communication Disorders: A Resource for Clinicians and Researchers provides state-of-the-art information about discourse analysis with sections on Aging, Aphasia, Cognitive Communication Disorders, and Neurodegenerative Diseases. The three renowned editors are actively engaged in the area of discourse. Expert clinical researchers introduce and organize each section, and chapters are authored by leaders involved in discourse research worldwide. Discourse is considered the most natural unit of language. Effective production of discourse requires complex interactions among linguistic, cognitive, and social abilities that are sensitive to even mild disruption in any one of these elements. This book covers the examination of discourse in adults with acquired communication disorders, including selecting elicitation tasks, streamlining transcription processes, expanding analysis methods, and translating findings for treatment application. Key Features * Provides a global perspective on discourse assessment for clinicians * Dedicated chapters on aging, aphasia, traumatic brain injury, right hemisphere disorder, primary progressive aphasia, Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Disclaimer: Please note that ancillary content (such as documents, audio, and video, etc.) may not be included as published in the original print version of this book.

Alison Wray notes that “Alzheimer’s Disease affects language in many different ways. Directly, language processing is undermined by damage to the language areas of the brain. Indirectly, language is compromised by short term memory loss, distortions in perception, and disturbed semantic representation . . . All of this makes AD an obvious focus of interest for linguists and in particular, those interested in the field of pragmatics – yet a striking amount of what is published about AD language is written by non-linguists. AD language is independently researched in at least psychology, neuroscience, sociology, clinical linguistics and nursing. Each discipline has its own methods, theories, assumptions and values, which affect the research questions asked, the empirical approach taken in answering them, and how the evidence is interpreted. Without a more reliable holistic picture informed by linguistic and applied linguistic theory and methods, approaches to diagnosis and care risk being constrained, and may result in a less than satisfactory experience for all those whose daily life involves the direct or indirect experience of AD.” This book is an attempt to address some of the above issues noted by bringing together a group of researchers whose work focuses on interaction in the context of dementia. The authors represent the fields of linguistics, clinical linguistics, nursing, and speech pathology, and each chapter draws on methods associated with discourse analysis and pragmatics to examine how people with dementia utilize language in the presence of cognitive decline. In addition, the book seeks to generate academic discussion on how researchers can move forward to focus greater attention on this topic. In particular, this collection will inspire researchers involved in mainstream theoretical linguistics and pragmatics to turn their attention to the discourse of dementia and investigate what it has to say about our knowledge of language theories, and, in addition, to challenge what we know about ourselves as subjective beings.

Written by a global team, this up-to-date introduction to applied linguistics helps students learn what it's like to do applied linguistics, and not just read about theoretical concepts. First, it provides frameworks for understanding both the shared characteristics of work in applied linguistics and the diversity of topics and analyses. Each chapter then highlights a topic area, covering key concepts, a specific project undertaken by the authors, and their personal reflections on entering the field. Hands-on analysis and other application activities also encourage students to test different skills related to each chapter. Finally, students are introduced to the tools they need to continue in applied linguistics: how to read and write empirical research, how to evaluate primary literature, and starting points for expanding their interest in specific subject areas. The authors provide examples from different geographical regions and languages to engage an international audience. At the same time, multilingualism, interdisciplinarity, and technology are integrated as themes within the text to reflect how these areas are now interwoven throughout applied linguistics.