Cohesion analysis of the expository discourse of normal, fluent aphasic and demented adults: A role in differential diagnosis?

Abstract

The quantitative and qualitative use of cohesive ties in the expository discourse of groups of normal young adults, normal older adults, older people with anomic aphasia and older people with probable Alzheimer's Disease (AD) was investigated. Lack of a published suitable diagnostic tool which can differentiate the language disorder of fluent aphasia and the language disorder associated with AD, plus a dearth of normative data concerning the use of cohesion in the above groups, were the main foci of the investigation. It aimed to describe patterns of cohesion for each group, to compare group patterns and to focus specifically on whether any variations in use could significantly differentiate the discourse of people with AD from that of people with anomic aphasia. Discourse samples were subjected to analysis for appropriate and disrupted cohesive ties. Results revealed both quantitative and qualitative differences in the discourse cohesion of the groups, indicating how language use changes through senescence and pathology. Significant differences in the quantity and patterns of use of cohesive ties in the discourse of people with anomic aphasia and people with AD revealed that cohesion analysis can differentiate the language disorders found in these two groups.