Spontaneous verbal repetition: A social strategy in aphasic conversation

Abstract This study investigated the spontaneous verbal repetition of a person with aphasia during conversation. Research questions were: Does repetition occur as a spontaneous verbal behaviour? How is repetion effectively used? What are the motivations for its use? A person with aphasia and his wife video recorded eight of their naturally occurring conversations which were subsequently transcribed and sequenced into turns-at-talk. Frequency of repetition and the sequential organization of conversation sequences containing repetition were analysed. Repetition was a frequent behaviour, occurring an average of 8% of the time for all conversations. Repetition was effectively used to meet the social needs of the conversation relating to displays of uncertainty, agreement, alignment and acknowledgement. Motivations for repetition related to its use as a compensatory strategy to overcome specific language barriers and to establish perceptions of conversational proficiency.