Making stories: The aphasia experience

Language used for expressing opinions and feelings – so-called evaluative language – is essential to the expression of the individual’s identity. In this paper, we will discuss different types of evaluative language and ways in which they are relatively impaired or preserved in aphasia. We will illustrate this with examples from stroke recounts of 3 aphasic speakers analysed from the perspectives of both the nature of evaluative language in aphasia, and its role in the expression and construction of identity. We will discuss implications of the use of emotive recounts in the clinical situation for facilitating language and working through identity issues