This chapter bridges predictions made by Natural Phonology/Linguistics with neuro-cognitive findings in people suffering from speech and language impairments. Part one discusses NP’s interpretations of speech sound disturbances, and part two discusses language perturbations from the perspective of NL. We describe word-level phonological processes in typical first language acquisition and second language learning. We present speech sound disturbances in monolingual and bilingual adults, as examined in NP, and their similarities to typical L1 and L2 processes as well as idiosyncratic processes. The latter do not occur in L1 and L2 acquisition in healthy people, for example, vowel spirantization and articulatory force changes. Further, part one points to cognitive effort as an essential factor contributing to the discrepancy between clinical phonological processes in L1/L2. The second part of the chapter focuses on language impairments through the lens of Natural Linguistics. Phonotactic, morphological, textual, and pragmatic errors in aphasia are discussed. Overall, the chapter shows that neuro-cognitive research has confirmed multiple projections made by NP/NL.

The goal of this chapter is to examine how the study of language disorders in clinical linguistics intersects with context. For children and adults who have language disorders, context can be both a formidable barrier to communication and a powerful resource for the compensation of impaired receptive and expressive language skills. Context influences clinical assessment and intervention of language. This chapter will examine the scope of clinical linguistics and how the field intersects with the closely related profession of speech-language pathology. Language disorders are a significant group of communication disorders which also include speech, hearing, voice, and fluency disorders. The relationship between language disorders and communication disorders is addressed. Five context-based themes will be used to examine clinical linguistics: the nonnormative use of context in children and adults with language disorder; context as a barrier to, and facilitator of, linguistic communication; the role of context in the language disorders clinic; context and the ecological validity of language assessments; and context in the setting of therapy goals and the generalization of language skills. The discussion concludes with some proposals for how context may be further integrated into clinical linguistics and the work of speech-language pathologists.