Inter and fotralinguistic studies of language pathologies: the different approaches and their validity

Abstract

The study of language pathologies from a linguistic point of view, also known as clinical linguistics, is a developing field in Spain which is subject to increasing interest, similar to the one it attracted during the 80s in the UK. Even though it is a new development in linguistic research, if we consider the areas of interlinguistic research, contrastive linguistics and intralinguistics, the study of language pathologies is not devoid of problematic issues, especially with regard to the evaluation of linguistic levels in a specific language and in a specific pathology. This article aims to approach these aspects with special reference to the cognitive and clinical dysfunction of patients suffering the Williams syndrome.