Introduction

The emergence of clinical pragmatics as a field of study in its own right is confirmed by several developments. A number of books, which have either used the title ‘clinical pragmatics’ or have clinical pragmatics as their central theme, have been published in the last fifteen years. In the same time, academic journals have dedicated special issues to the discussion of clinical pragmatics. Entries on clinical pragmatics are now as likely to appear in encyclopaedias and other reference texts as are entries on phonetics and syntax. Symposia and conferences now routinely dedicate sessions to clinical pragmatics. A greater level of academic interest in clinical pragmatic issues is scarcely imaginable. The question I want to address in this book is whether this interest has advanced our understanding of pragmatic disorders to a significant extent and if the assessment and treatment of these disorders has been facilitated by research in clinical pragmatics. So my task is in part a critical one – a critical evaluation of our current state of knowledge in clinical pragmatics as well as of the application of this knowledge to the assessment and treatment of pragmatic disorders in children and adults. Yet, such a critical evaluation can only reasonably proceed in the context of a wider examination of the clinical studies that have been conducted in the field.