Clinical linguistics as a "small subject"

 Clinical linguistics deals with the diagnosis and the treatment of language, speech, voice and swallowing disorders in children and adults. Cognitive communication disorders, the result of an impaired interaction between language and cognitive abilities, also belong to this area of activity.

Clinical linguistics emerged from a humanistic research tradition in which linguistics kept a close exchange with the medical field. Today, clinical linguistics is an independent “small subject” (i.e. a somewhat rare academic discipline) which uses linguistic methods to characterize language disorders. This subject also conducts fundamental research by working with patients in order to draw conclusions about the language processing of unimpaired persons.
The classification of disorders according to empirical models is central to this endeavor, giving rise to impulses for the evolution of linguistic theories. Clinical linguistics is therefore truly interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary and combines linguistic theories, areas of application from medicine and psychology and the methodical standards of empirical research.

Clinical linguistics as a “small subject” has a scientific tradition in Germany, as demonstrated by the publication of diagnostic and therapy methods for developmental language disorders, acquired communication disorders or dysphagias. In addition, clinical linguists contribute in writing consensus papers and guidelines for these disorders.