Conversation Repair and Communication Disability

Language production in conversation is fast and precise, but problems and errors routinely arise. Conversation repair is the means by which we flexibly repair troubles with speaking, hearing, and understanding. In this talk, Associate Professor Scott Barnes will describe the organisation of conversation repair and discuss recent findings about repair practices across languages and cultures.

He will then turn to the application of knowledge about repair organisation to conversations involving people with communication disabilities. People who experience communication disabilities are vulnerable to troubles affecting the production and reception of language and, as a result, persistent (and unsuccessful) repair can be a prominent part of their everyday conversations.

Finally, empirical research on repair and adulthood-acquired communication disabilities, and how these findings have been applied in professional practice, will be discussed, focusing on aphasia.

Date

Friday 25 July 2025

Time

1 to 2 pm

Location

Online via Zoom

Speaker

Associate Professor Scott Barnes
Macquarie University