Text structure and patterns of cohesion in narrative texts written by adults with a history of language impairment |
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Authors: | Lynne Mortensen Karen Smith-Lock Lyndsey Nickels |
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Institution: | (1) Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia |
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Abstract: | This paper examines text structure and patterns of cohesion in stories written by a group of adults with a history of childhood
language impairment. The study aimed to extend our knowledge of writing difficulties in this group by building upon a study
that examined clause level phenomena (Smith-Lock, Nickels, & Mortensen, this issue). Ten adults with a history of Language
Impairment and 30 control participants were asked to write the story of Cinderella. Stories were analyzed for their generic
structure and cohesion resources, both of which contribute to the organization and coherence of a text. Results revealed that
patterns of text organization at the level of generic structure and measures of cohesion did not distinguish the performance
of writers with a history of Language Impairment from the comparison group. A wide range of lexico-grammatical skills was
evident within the Language Impaired group, with few individuals with Language Impairment falling outside the normal range
of performance. It is suggested that generic structure and cohesion are a relative strength in the writing of adults with
Language Impairment, within the constraints of their lexical and grammatical skills.
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Keywords: | Adult language impairment Written discourse Text organization Coherence Generic structure Cohesion |
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