BIAP Recommendation n° 20/1

LANGUAGE

Recommendation 20/1 deals with linguistic evaluation tests and aims at ensuring that speech and language check-ups will be carried out with all necessary precision.

Given the fact that any speech acquisition process is affected by different complex elements, such as the psycholinguistic situation and individual characteristics (social, cultural, related to the person's development, etc), tests should enable us to examine various aspects of verbal (oral or written) communication:

-qualitative aspects:

-interaction

-pragmatics

-quantitative aspects:

-articulation

-mouth and face motricity

-observation of oral expression:

-suprasegmental factors

-voice

-linguistic elements of expression and understanding:

-phonology

-morphology

-semantics

-lexicology

-syntax

-cognitive conditions to language elaboration:

-memory

-categorization

-reasoning

-logic

-graphic mode:

-reading

-writing

The analysis of the elements that have been collected then allows us to:

-design various hypothesis about an individual' speech and/or language difficulties or disorders.

-design the rehabilitation plan or decide to carry out complementeray tests.

Such an evaluation is based on a dynamic process and should be constantly adapted and adjusted.

CT 20 - LANGUAGE

DEFINITIONS

I. QUALITATIVE ASPECTS

1. Interaction

-from a functional point of vue

The reciprocal influence of behaviours (verbal or non- verbal), in the field of interpersonal relationships

-from a linguistic point of vue

Model of interactive language management As soon as an individual starts " perceiving " a sentence, the various levels of language management (phonological, lexical, syntactic, semantic) begin to function and interact with one another, as each level is influenced by the data arriving from both the level immediately below and all the other upper levels.

2. Pragmatics

Organization and regulation of the various uses of discourse. The pragmatic aspect of language covers the conditions of its use: speakers' psychological motivations, their reactions, socialised types of discourse, object of the discourse.

II. QUANTITATIVE ASPECTS

1. Observation of oral expression

1.1. Articulation

Any of the mouth phonatory acts which intervene in the realisation of phonemes

1.2. Face and mouth motricity

Intentional or non-intentional motor activity of phonatory peripheral organs

1.3. suprasegmental factors

A prosodic or suprasegmental feature is a phonatory characteristic which affects a segment longer than the phoneme: accent, intonation, duration,

rhythm.

1.4. Voice

-intensity

-pitch

-timbre

-duration

2. Linguistic elements of expression and communication

2.1. Phonology

The science which treats of language sounds from the point of vue of their function in the system of linguistic communication.

2.2. Morphology

Description of the rules which govern the internal structure of words (words formation and flexion).

2.3. Semantics

Discipline whose purpose is to study significations (utterances, sentences, terms).

2.4. Lexicology

Study of words.

2.5. Syntax

Description of the rules according to which units combine into sentences.

3. Cognitive conditions to language elaboration

3.1. Memory

Ability to organize, keep and restore information.

3.2. Categorization

Ability to classify objects, events or concepts according to their attributes and to devise groups of elements considered identical or equivalent.

3.3. Reasoning

Ability to refllect on and judge the use of speech and language rules.

3.4. Logic

Mental ability to observe and express a consistent sequence of ideas.

4. Graphic mode

4.1. Reading

An act of communication

4.2. Writing

A representation of spoken language by means of graphic signs. Compared to oral expression, writing is a secondary degree code of communication.

Madrid (E) 01.05.1995