Pragmatics in the Health Sciences

Abstract

Pragmatics in the Health Sciences by Maria Garraffa and Greta Mazzaggio advances the central claim that pragmatic competence should be understood not only as a topic in linguistics but as a core component of healthcare assessment and practice. The authors develop this claim by bringing together lines of research that are often pursued within separate disciplinary contexts. Drawing on clinical pragmatics, neuropragmatic research, and developmental pragmatics, they synthesize findings across diverse populations, including typically developing children, bilingual speakers, older adults, and individuals with autism, dementia, neurological conditions, and addiction. Rather than limiting their discussion to the description of pragmatic impairments, they seek to demonstrate how pragmatic assessment can illuminate cognitive functioning and contribute to structured intervention.