The Complementarity between Theoretical Linguistics, Neurolinguistics, and Communication Sciences and Disorders

As science evolves, there is an ever-increasing interplay between disciplines. In Communication Sciences and Disorders interdisciplinary theory is needed because of a number of factors such as the growing detail in imaging technology, the development of new strategies in the identification and the treatment of disease, and the nuances that arise in fields that have become more and more specialized. Linguistics and the Communication Sciences and Disorders are a perfect example of disciplinary complementarity. This paper is the written version of an invited plenary speech given in 2016 at the Minnesota Undergraduate Linguistics Symposium. The theme of the symposium was Linguistic Applications, namely how linguistics complements and influences other fields. The specific angle taken in this paper is the complementarity between Linguistics, Neurolinguistics, and Communication Sciences and Disorders. Speech Language Pathologists receive patients with diagnoses affecting their ability to use language to communicate effectively. On the basis of the diagnosis, they determine the linguistic symptoms and a course of action. In my clinic, not only does the Speech Language Pathologist use an interdisciplinary approach, but a transdisciplinary model of care is used, as will be explained later in the paper