Children with Verbal Restrictions and the Concept of Intercomprehension and Multimodality in Speech-Language Therapy: A Case Study

Silva, Cristiane Alves; Santana, Ana Paula

doi:10.1590/2176-4573e62685

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ARTICLES • Bakhtiniana, Rev. Estud. Discurso 19 (02) • 2024 • https://doi.org/10.1590/2176-4573e62685 copy

Children with Verbal Restrictions and the Concept of Intercomprehension and Multimodality in Speech-Language Therapy: A Case Study

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

This article aims to analyze the process of mutual understanding from the perspective of Discursive Neurolinguistics. As a methodology, a case study was carried out on a child with a linguistic profile of verbal restriction, which concerns the dimension of utterances involving words and their morphology. Data interpretation was based on the Bakhtinian perspective, which addresses ‘understanding’ as an active-responsive process and meaning as emerging from the relationship between utterances. The results showed that the interlocutors’ common ground allowed the joint construction of meaning even in the face of verbal restrictions, and aspects such as nonverbal elements and the recognition of the child’s active-responsive role also favored mutual understanding. As a conclusion, the attention to different multimodal resources as legitimate modes of expression allows children with verbal restrictions to fulfill the role of “speakers” regardless of their modes of expression.

KEYWORDS:
Discursive Neurolinguistics; Multimodality; Verbal restriction; Dialogism; Mutual understanding

Turn	Interlocutor	Multimodal utterance
1	Gabriela	“Êee” (Points upwards and looks at her mother)
2	Ana	“What do you want?” (Looks at the child)
3	Gabriela	(Grabs her mother’s forearm)
4	Ana	(Withdraws her arm and looks at the child)
5	Gabriela	(Points and looks in the direction of the backpack)
6	Ana	“Do you want some water?” (Looks at the backpack, then at the child)
7	Gabriela	(Produces the “no” sign and looks in the direction of the backpack)
8	Gabriela	“Êee” (grabs her mother’s forearm and looks in the direction of the backpack)
9	Ana	“Water?” (Leans torso and head forward, facing the child)
10	Gabriela	“Eeaai” (Points and looks in the direction of the cell phone)
11	Ana	(Looks at the pointing gesture and then looks at the cell phone)
12	Ana	“This one?” (Points to the cell phone and looks at the child)
13	Gabriela	“Edee” (Produces the “yes” sign)
14	Ana	(Picks up the cell phone and puts it in front of the child)
15	Gabriela	“A-lála!” (Smiles, pointing and looking at the cell phone screen)

(a) “Êee” (turn 1)
(b) “Êee” (turn 8)
(c) “Eeaaii” (turn 10)
(d) “Edee” (turn 13)
(e) “Alála” (turn 15)

Gabriela’s conventional vocalization	Meaning
Mama	mamãe [mommy]
Baaa	bala [candy]
boo	bolo [Cake]
Lela	Cinderella
Lala	Dora

Turn	Interlocutor	Multimodal utterance
1	Ana	“No, tell her, what other cartoon you like to watch? Which of... you like to see, the princess one? Tell her which one it is.”
2	Gabriela	(Takes her finger off her cell phone and, looking down, puts her hands under the table)
3	Ana	“She’s telling you. She is showing her foot. It’s Cinderella.” (Looks at the researcher.)
4	Researcher	“Oh, let me see what it is? Let me see?”
5	Gabriela	(Touches her foot repeatedly with her hands, looks at the researcher and smiles.)

Gabriela’s home signs	Meaning
Touches her foot (or shoe) with her hand	Cinderella (children’s cartoon)
Index finger pointing to her hair	Rapunzel (children’s literature character)
Arms extended at shoulder height and one leg bent (imitating the character’s body)	Dora the Explorer (children’s cartoon character)
With her hand closed, she makes circular movements, as if she were stirring something in a pan	Strawberry Shortcake (children’s cartoon character)
With her hands open and arms intertwined in front of her torso, with movements like rocking a baby	Baby Jesus
With her hands open, in front of her face, with vocalizations	Dinosaur
With her hands open, swaying at shoulder height, as if she were swimming	Little Mermaid (children’s cartoon character)
Kneeling down	Princess Jasmine (character from the children’s cartoon “Princesses”)
Hands joined on the side of her face.	Aurora, the sleeping beauty (children’s cartoon)

Turn	Interlocutor	Multimodal utterance
1	Maria	“Do you want George?”; “Come here” (follows the child’s movements)
2	Gabriela	“É-tchu” (raises her left arm and hand, moving to the rhythm of the vocalization)
3	Maria	“What do you want? George is a little pig. Do you want to play with him?” (looks at the child)
4	Gabriela	“É-tchiu” (continues to make the gesture up and down, following the rhythm of the vocalization)
5	Maria	“Did you see him on TV?”
6	Gabriela	(Looks inside the box)
7	Maria	“Ih, I don't know what you're trying to tell me. What do you want to tell me?”
8	Gabriela	“Pé-pa” (maintains the gesture pattern)
9	Maria	(Remains in silence, looking at the child)
10	Gabriela	“É-tchaa” (maintains the gesture pattern)
11	Maria	“Huh? What is it? Take George to the table so we can get another animal.” (Looks inside the box)
12	Gabriela	“É-tchua” (takes two steps towards the table, but stops, turns around and vocalizes again with the same gesture pattern)
13	Maria	“Ha! Look here! There’s a whale!” (takes a toy from the box)
14	Gabriela	“É-tchaa” (maintains the gesture pattern)
15	Maria	“Look” (making movements with the whale)
16	Gabriela	“É-tee” (maintains gesture pattern)
17	Maria	“What now, Cris, help me...” [looks at the researcher]. “What do you want?” (looks at the child)
18	Researcher	“Is it Peppa you want?”
19	Gabriela	(“Positive” gesture with her left hand, looking at the researcher)

Turn	Interlocutor	Multimodal utterance
1	Joana	“See if there’s anything here.” (directs the toy towards the child). “Is there anything in there?”
2	Gabriela	(Opens the oven door, looks inside and extends her left arm into the oven)
3	Joana	“Is there anything there?”
4	Gabriela	(Touches the bottom and top compartments, extends her arm inside the fridge, moves it sideways and looks at the interlocutor)
5	Joana	“Is there anything in there?”
6	Gabriela	(Looks at the fridge and closes the door)
7	Joana	“Look at me” (touches the child’s arm). “Is there anything in there?”
8	Gabriela	(Makes the “positive” sign)
9	Joana	“There is?... What?... Take it!”
10	Gabriela	(Closes the fridge door, stands up and rubs her stomach with her left hand)
11	Joana	“What’s wrong? Are you hungry?” (rubs the child’s stomach)
12	Joana	“There’s nothing in here” (turns her body towards the toy). “What about in the microwave?”

Opening gesture (in turn 2, the child opens the fridge door)
Touching gesture (in turn 4, the child touches the fridge compartments)
“Sweeping” gesture (in turn 4, the child swipes her arm across the fridge in sideways movements)
Closing gesture (in turns 6 and 10, the child closes the fridge door; and in turn 17, she closes the microwave door)
“Positive” gesture (turn 8)
Hand on stomach gesture (turns 10, 13 and 15)

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