ABSTRACT
This article discusses decisive aspects related to the “language evaluation” moment of the therapeutic process which leads to a diagnostic conclusion. Some critical comments concerning the widespread application of grammatical apparatuses to evaluate and decide between the normal/pathological polarity are presented and discussed. It is argued that such descriptive instruments are insufficient and misguiding because they can only offer negative description which end up in labelling symptomatic speech as “deviant”, thus missing the positive and effective mobility of the intriguing pathological language manifestations. Indeed, in most cases, “language evaluation” is nothing but a sophisticated paraphrase of the patient’s complaint. It is assumed here that Saussure’s ideas represent a way out of description. In other words, they open the possibility of understanding language and its functioning in speech without approaching speech as mere actualization of grammar. Taking into account the idiosyncratic nature of pathological speech, this paper endeavors to highlight the need for considering the functioning of language as autonomous, as inferred from Saussure’s view on relations as primitives.
Key-words:
language evaluation; diagnosis; Saussure and the functioning of language; language clinic