Repair sequences in aphasic talk: a comparison of aphasic-speech and language therapist and aphasic-spouse conversations

The phenomena discussed in this paper emerged from a study that examined the talk of two aphasic-speech and language therapist (SLT) and two aphasic-spouse partnerships. In the aphasic-spouse conversations there was a pattern in which, following an 'error' in the aphasic person's spoken output, the partnership engaged in a collaborative revision of aphasic production. These revision sequences explicitly brought repair to the conversational surface and were unusual in their extension of repair beyond the point where the target became known. Whilst opportunities for revision existed in the aphasic-SLT talk, the SLTs' reluctance to model production helped to ensure that similar sequences did not occur in these conversations. A wider review of repair phenomena revealed that whilst the SLTs worked to minimize the interactive consequences of aphasic troubles in talk, spouses played a part in exposing and prolonging repair. Possible reasons for different patterns of repair in aphasic-SLT and aphasic-spouse conversations are discussed, as are some clinical implications of these findings.