Clinical Linguistic Vs Clinical Linguistics

Language is a tool of treatment

Language is considered a crucial human phenomenon without which it is almost impossible for a social human being to go even for a single day. We have languages therefore we are human beings.

Nowadays, language is not only a medium of communication but also as technological advancement in the 21st century it is used as a tool of treatment like medicine. I am not kidding. Let’s start with a story.

When Bob Dylan nominated for Nobel prize, one of English newspapers titled as “cool as a cucumber” but a Bangladeshi newspaper translated it into Bangla as ‘শশার মতো ঠান্ডা’।In fact, it’s not the concern of clinical linguist. But, if a student writes ‘শ…স…অ…অ র, ম..ত টা ন..ঢা’ then he may take it under consideration as

The title ‘clinical linguistics’ itself indicates the inclusion of clinical and linguistics two terms used in two different academic traditions- as a discipline clinical linguistics mostly welcomes many research topics selected from both linguistics and medicine which consequently help to describe, analyze and treat the language disability (e.g., aphasia, alexia, apraxia, dysarthria) in all its forms.

David Crystal states that “…the application the theories, method and findings of linguistics (include phonetics) to the study of those clinical situations where disorders of language are diagnosed and treated.”

In the last of 70s century clinical linguistics was emerged as an academic discipline over the world new branch of linguistics over the world. Though it is a part of health science in medicine, it cannot work perfectly without applying the linguistics theories and methods at all.

Some representative features of clinical linguistics are-

# An inter-disciplinary study where theoretical and practical knowledge is focused.

# Includes disorders of all linguistics channels or modalities (e.g., speaking, listening, reading and writing)

# Focuses on the fundamental role of language as well as recognizes its importance for human communication

#Analyses and treats language, speech, voice and speech problems through extensive medical practice.

Because when a person produces language he/s first thing subconsciously think then he/s produces speech through vocal organs (e.g. larynx, glottis). A language processing mechanism consists of two different steps such as language production and language comprehension. If a person faces any disruption in language production a clinical linguist follows four steps-

Description:

Indentify all syndromes, symptoms and characteristics of pathological linguistics behaviors.

Diagnosis:

To indicate the classifications of linguistics behaviors medical syndromes, linguistics syndromes (e.g. phonemic, phonological, and syntactic) and other variables are being considered

Assessment:

Assess how seriously the linguistics behavior is affected or deviates from the natural forms

Intervention:

Final stage of working procedure for formulating a hypothesis for curing abnormal linguistics behavior

As a profession clinical linguist, is a new idea for most of the people of Bangladesh. But they have lot of job opportunities with handsome salary. They can work in different NGOs, govt. organizations, clinics, medical colleges, and special education institutions or open a private chamber to council and treat the communication disordered