Article published In:
Pragmatics of Active Social InclusionEdited by Yoshiko Matsumoto and Heidi E. Hamilton
[Pragmatics and Society 15:1] 2024
► pp. 33–48
Edited by Yoshiko Matsumoto and Heidi E. Hamilton
[Pragmatics and Society 15:1] 2024
► pp. 33–48
“That was a long time ago”
Memory work spanning the arc from normal healthy aging to cognitive impairment
The paper contributes to ongoing research on memory work with a focus on “memory work markers” (mwm), affirmative and negative constructions with first person singular verbs such as ‘I remember’ and ‘I know’. We observe them in a longitudinal approach, based on a hexagonal French corpus of biographical interviews, and compare speakers with Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) and cognitive impairment (CI) with matched speakers in normal aging. We observe a general tendency to use negative mwm more frequently in normal aging, while the speaker with AD uses positive as well as negative mwm for memory work performance, and the speaker with CI as tools for topic self-selection. We conclude that framing the process of remembering with mwm can preserve speakers’ autonomy and that an inclusive conversation style could be enhanced by the nuanced awareness of mwm and their relevance in interaction.
Keywords: aging, dementia, memory work, longitudinal, lifespan pragmatics
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.A longitudinal, corpus-based approach to memory work
- 3.Linguistic strategies of memory work
- 3.1 mwm in the role of discourse markers (DM)
- 3.2 mwm as lexical elements
- 4.Analysis
- 4.1Annotation
- 4.2Use of mwm: frequencies and affirmative vs. negative forms
- 4.3Use of mwm: ad and ci
- 4.3.1Ms Moreau and her memory work performance
- 4.3.2Ms Morel’s memory work for topic self-selection
- 5.Conclusion and perspectives
- Acknowledgements
-
References
References (20)
Corpus LangAge = Gerstenberg, Annette. 2005–2023. LangAge Collection of Biographical Interviews. University of Potsdam. [URL]
Bazzanella, Carla. 1990. “Phatic Connectives as Interactional Cues in Contemporary Spoken Italian.” Journal of Pragmatics 14 (4): 629–647. 
Diani, Giuliana. 2004. “The Discourse Functions of ‘I don’t know’ in English Conversation.” In Discourse Patterns in Spoken and Written Corpora, ed. by Karin Aijmer, and Anna-Brita Stenström, 157–171. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
El Sherbiny Ismail, Eman, Annette Gerstenberg, Marta Lupica Spagnolo, Friederike Schulz, and Anne Vandenbroucke. 2022. “L’âge avancé en perspective longitudinale et ses outils: LangAge, un corpus au pluriel. SHS Web Conf. (SHS Web of Conferences) – 8e Congrès Mondial de Linguistique Française 138. 10003 [1–14].
Frank-Job, Barbara. 2006. “A Dynamic-interactional Approach to Discourse Markers.” In Approaches to discourse particles (Studies in pragmatics 1), ed. by Kerstin Fischer, 359–374. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Gerstenberg, Annette. 2020. “Pragmatic Development in the (Middle and) Later Stages of Life.” In Developmental and Clinical Pragmatics (HOPS 13) (Handbooks of Pragmatics 13), ed. by Klaus P. Schneider, and Elly Ifantidou, 209–234. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.
Gerstenberg, Annette, and Heidi E. Hamilton. 2023. “Older adults’ conversations and the emergence of ‘narrative crystals’: A new approach to frequently told stories.” Narrative Inquiry: 27–60.
Gerstenberg, Annette, and Cord Pagenstecher. 2022. “Interviews als Forschungsdaten für Geschichte und Linguistik: Sammlungsübergreifende Perspektiven in ‘Oral-History.Digital’.“ apropos [Perspektiven auf die Romania]: 213–239.
Grant, Lynn E. 2010. “A Corpus Comparison of the Use of ‘I Don’t Know’ by British and New Zealand Speakers.” Journal of Pragmatics 42 (8): 2282–2296.
Gülich, Elisabeth. 2020. “Erinnern – Erzählen – Interpretieren in Gesprächen mit Anfallskranken.“ In Mündliches Erzählen. Verfahren narrativer Rekonstruktion im Gespräch, ed. by Elisabeth Gülich, Stefan Pfänder, Carl E. Scheidt, and Elke Schumann, 181–212. Berlin: de Gruyter.
Gülich, Elisabeth, and Stefan Pfänder. 2022. “Erinnerungsmarkierungen in Zeitzeugenerzählungen. Episodische Rekonstruktion und epistemische Authentifizierung in Gesprächen mit Überlebenden der NS-Zwangsarbeitslager.” Romanistisches Jahrbuch 731: 108–147.
Hamilton, Heidi E. 2019. Language, Dementia and Meaning Making. Navigating Challenges of Cognition and Face in Everyday Life. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kitwood, Tom. 2012. ”Dementia Reconsidered: The Person Comes First.” In Adult Lives. A Life Course Perspective, ed. by Jeanne Katz, Sheila M. Peace, and Sue Spurr, 90–99. Bristol, Milton Keynes: Policy; Open University.
Lindström, Jan, Yael Maschler, and Simona Pekarek Doehler. 2016. “A cross-linguistic perspective on grammar and negative epistemics in talk-in-interaction.” Journal of Pragmatics 106 (1): 72–79.
Matsumoto, Yoshiko. 2019. “Taking the stance of quotidian in talking about pains: Resilience and defiance.” Linguistics Vanguard 5(s2): 20180034.
Mroczynski, Robert. 2013. “Zur Herausbildung des Diskursmarker ja. Grammatikalisierung oder Pragmatikalisierung?” Zeitschrift für Germanistische Linguistik 41 (1): 127–152.
Pekarek Doehler, Simona. 2016. “More than an Epistemic Hedge: French ‘je sais pas’ “’ don’t know’ as a Resource for the Sequential Organization of Turns and Actions.” Journal of Pragmatics 106 (2): 148–162.
Svennevig, Jan, and Anne M. D. Landmark. 2019. “Accounting for forgetfulness in dementia interaction.” Linguistics Vanguard 5(s2): 20180021.
Tsui, Amy B. 1991. “The Pragmatic Functions of ‘I don’t know’.” Text – Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of Discourse 11 (4): 607–622.
Wray, Alison. 2020. The Dynamics of Dementia Communication. New York (NY): Oxford University Press.