Abstract
Abstract This study investigates the linguistic patterning that created shifts in the topic of spontaneous interactions of speakers with schizophrenia. The psychiatric category of disorganized speech in schizophrenia may be manifested in language across (derailment) or within (incoherence) clauses through unexpected topic shifts. Topic switching was examined for cohesion and thematic structures, within the framework of systemic functional linguistics (SFL). Three patients diagnosed with schizophrenia conversed individually with a psychiatrist who elicited information on various topics, e.g., background information, hobbies, etc. The interviews were videotaped, and audio-recorded. The recordings were transcribed by the researcher and divided into clauses, which were analyzed and coded for consistency of field, cohesion and thematic structures. The findings revealed that speakers did not make use of linguistic features simultaneously to initiate topics. Topic shifts were marked by moving fields with atypical reference, intertwining of participant chains, and lexical items appearing out of context. The speakers created discontinuous participant chains across Themes and departed from the main thematic sequences of linear progression and Theme iteration. The specific linguistic findings correspond to the clinical description of schizophrenia.
Highlights
Using linguistic features enables speakers to communicate clearly and convey interpretable messages
The current study shows how specific linguistic criteria express the clinical categories of topic shifts and disorganized speech in schizophrenia
The analysis reveals six types of topic shifts: a. discontinuous participants across Themes of messages b. using unclear references, c. using exophoric references
Summary
Using linguistic features enables speakers to communicate clearly and convey interpretable messages. Speakers with schizophrenia often fail to engage in clear conversation and construct social interaction They lack spontaneous adaptation to the flow of conversation because of inappropriate linguistic choices (Covington et al 2005). 2.1 Diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia “The essential features of schizophrenia are a mixture of characteristic signs and symptoms that have been present for a significant portion of time during a one month period” (APA 2013). The speech of patients with schizophrenia may be disorganized in a variety of ways: the person may ‘slip off the track’ from one topic to another; answers to questions may be obliquely related or completely unrelated (APA 2013). “Failure [...] to produce stretches of language that seem coherent to the listener has long been regarded as an essential characteristic of the schizophrenic patient” (Rochester and Martin 1979: 73)
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