Stroke narratives in aphasia: The role of reported speech

Abstract

Background: Reported speech has been examined extensively in linguistics and discourse research; however, very few studies on reported speech in narratives of individuals with aphasia have been undertaken. Previous research on stroke narratives focused on African American and Caucasian American populations and cultural variations in narrative style (Olness & Ulatowska, 2002).

Aims: The purpose of this study was to analyze the structural roles of reported speech in narratives of persons with aphasia. The following research questions were addressed: 1) Do individuals with aphasia use reported speech in illness narratives?, 2) Do they use direct and indirect forms of reported speech?, 3) What is the distribution of reported speech in the narratives?, 4) What function does reported speech perform?, 5) Who is quoted in the reported speech?, 6) Does the structure of reported speech differ across cultural groups?

Methods & Procedures: Stroke narratives were elicited from 18 Caucasian American and 15 African American individuals with aphasia. The structural and thematic roles of reported speech were analyzed, and comparisons across cultural groups were made.

Outcomes & Results: Participants used direct speech more frequently than indirect. Reported speech occurred primarily in complicating action of the narrative and served a narrative function. Themes pertaining to illness scripts were also conveyed.

Conclusions: The use of reported speech revealed a high level of narrative achievement and preserved pragmatic abilities in the individuals with aphasia. This achievement is invaluable in strengthening relationships and reinforcing community integration.

Keywords:

• Aphasia
• Reported speech
• Narratives

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments on this manuscript. The authors also thank Elizabeth Jackson, Molly Keebler, Sara Haynes, Kara Anderson, and the participants for assisting in this study. This research was supported in part by the University of Texas at Dallas Faculty Research Initiative Grant (2007-2008) to the first author. Some of the data were collected on NIH/NIDCD grant #1R03DC005151 awarded to Gloria Olness.