The achieved coherence of aphasic narrative

Abstract

This paper addresses what can be called 'the problem of coherence in aphasic discourse.' Most research on aphasic discourse analytically strips it from the context of its in situ production, and then paradoxically finds language deficits at the sentence level, but intact discourse abilities. This paper argues that conversation analytic methods can solve this problem by analyzing the data without desocializing and detemporalizing it. We then argue that sequences of social action, not individuals, are the locus of conversational competence and coherence.