Euphonia Ediciones (Eph). - Lingüística Clínica y Logopedia (Speech therapy and clinical linguistics) "www.espaciologopedico.com" bring together in this book a wide range of perspectives on speech alterations. Could you define the fundamental difference between linguistics and speech therapy?

Elena Garayzábal (E.G): Linguistics provides a solid base, a comprehensive description covering all the elements of language which need to be taken into consideration in speech production. Fundamentally the patient’s communication skills.

Eph: The First Clinical Linguistics Congress was held in November 2006. What have its repercussions been on both academic and clinical performance?.

Victoria Marrero (V.M): For the first time, people with different views and different fields related to linguistics and speech alterations, are working together in Spain. The possibility of exchanging experiences within this framework of an emerging discipline has given us a great deal of encouragement to keep on working hard.

Eph: Up to what point has this experience created the need to hold a second Congress?

V.M: It has been fundamental. When the first one was over, the organizers’ proposal of finding someone to continue the job was left in the air. After a few months, Elena got me involved in this complicated but stimulating challenge.

E.G: During the first congress both the interest for this discipline and the areas where more work is needed became evident. We want to add our grain of sand to improve the situation and use the second congress as a sounding board for the international scene.

Eph: What are your main objectives for the next Congress?

E.G: Apart from the intentions already mentioned, we aim to make the work of the clinical linguists in the Spanish language better known internationally: the features of the different languages are a rich source within this field.

Eph: What are the needs expressed by doctors and therapists for interdisciplinary investigation?

E.G: Language therapists basically need assessment tests covering real language. These tests would help diagnose problems based on language use which is a long term task. To this end, we need the comprehensive descriptions that are beginning to become available.

Eph: How would you define the daily interaction between linguists and clinical linguistic councillors?

V.M: Within the clinical field there are pressures (of time, established protocols, etc) which do not encourage the smooth interchange which is fundamental for interdisciplinary investigation. For this reason, the individual initiatives of professionals, who manage to break free of this cycle and look for collaboration outside their given field especially in the university area, are all the more to be appreciated.

Eph: Which institutional or business means are being considered to boost this field?

E.G: This is one of the principal drawbacks that we are up against. There is no established route which, following protocol, allows linguistics to become part of the clinical field. The field of clinical linguistics would be favoured if it were a more established discipline. In Europe the figure of the clinical linguist already exists (Clinical Linguistic Counselling) as an expert who helps the therapist to focus their work, on the basis of the communication problems presented by the patient.

Eph: Can you inform us about any relevant proposals?

V.M: The Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics International Society supports several activities in this field (Congresses, magazine publishing, etc.) as far as training is concerned, there is a European Master in Clinical Linguistics, which is offered simultaneously and on a rotation basis by four universities. (www.emcl-mundus.com).

Eph: Apart from speech therapy there are other areas of training affected by the necessity of tackling the problem of the treatment and diagnosis of language disorders. Up to what point is it possible to bring together a linguistic criterion that can be used without exception by disciplines as different as hearing and speech, special needs education, neurolinguistics or speech therapy, etc.?

V.M: I think clinical linguistics has got three main areas: teaching, assessment and comprehensive description of language pathologies with linguistic criteria. With respect to the first, our situation in speech therapy degrees is reasonable (there are many post graduate courses available: the best ones always include linguistic training). In Audiology, Spain is affected by the uncertainty and lack of academic definition that has an impact on our discipline along with others.The last two, on the other hand, have yet to be established as a discipline or do not exist as yet.

Eph: To what extent is clinical linguistics part of applied linguistics or could become a part of it?

E.G: It may not be considered as established as others (sociolinguistics, computational linguistics, language teaching...), but, yes, it is a branch of applied linguistics.

Eph: What message would you transmit to doctors and therapists in order to stimulate their interest in the linguistic perspective of the coming congress?

V.M: A very simple question, if you will allow me to answer it with another: Why does a patient go to a speech therapist, or receive hospital treatment, after a stroke or because of a language disorder? In order to express himself better. We can reach the heart of the problem through a study of that linguistic communication.

Eph: Have important drawbacks in the development and promotion of clinical linguistics been discovered?

E.G: Yes, they have in our country, since we don’t have the necessary means or support to introduce it adequately.

Eph: Could you commit yourself to giving an opinion on the next congress on our website?

V.M y E.G: We would be pleased to.

Thank you and best wishes.