Pragmatic functions in aphasia.

Pragmatic functions were investigated in the expressive speech of two fluent and four motor aphasics under the conditions of elicited conversation, picture stimulation, and unelicited conversation. The pragmatic behaviors of pragmatic, mathetic, and informative functions were present in the residual speech of subjects regardless of type or severity of aphasia. In this study "pragmatic" was defined as language to satisfy one's own needs, to control and interact; "mathetic" as language to ask for names, to explore the environment, and verbal recall; and "informative" as language that relates experiences not shared by the listener. A clustering of these pragmatic functions for the more severely impaired subjects was evidenced when severity rating was compared to pragmatic analysis. Clinical implications for language elicitation methods are discussed. Additional evidence is presented for supporting performance deficits in aphasia in regard to pragmatic behaviors.