ABSTRACT
With respect to linguistic structure, the case studies in this book reveal considerable consistency among individuals with neurodegenerative disorders – morphology and syntax are relatively intact even as there are considerable impairments in other levels of language. Cognitive impairment in the absence of dementia was either diagnosed or self-reported in nearly all subjects in these case studies. There were numerous instances in these case studies where impaired and preserved language skills co-exist at the same language level. Neurodegeneration typically emerges in later life when patients and their spouses have already established a certain style or pattern of communication. In some communication dyads, one partner is more dominant than the other and assumes control of the conversational exchange. Other communication dyads are more collaborative in nature, with each partner making an equal contribution to the development of a conversation.
