Changing patterns of repair in the conversations of one aphasic couple: A comparison over time

This project is part of a wider funded ERSC study vLong Term Adaptation to Conversation by People with Aphasia and their Partners* (ESRC R000239306). This wider study aimed to investigate the process of adaptation to conversation by seven couples living with aphasia, using data collected at seven regular intervals post-CVA 3 months, 4.5 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months and 30 months. This present project used conversational data collected from one of these couples at 4.5 months and 18 months post-CVA. This project will review current literature in the field of aphasia, focusing in particular on research concerning spontaneous recovery. The method of conversation analysis as a tool for investigating talk-in-interaction will be outlined and discussed. Relevant research using conversation analysis will be discussed, namely studies concerning turn-construction methods and repair. Then the application of conversation analysis to data from speakers with aphasia will be discussed, as will the issue of repair patterns in aphasia. The analysis section will outline the changing patterns of repair that were found upon detailed analysis of the conversational data. The first pattern of repair concerns self- initiated other-repair and other-initiated repair, and the second pattern is form of self- initiated, same-turn repair. Finally, a summary of the results shall be presented, and the implications of these results will be discussed. The limitations of this project and areas for future research shall be outlined