Gestures in the speech-language pathology clinic: a study in the light of the materialist discourse analysis

Abstract

Objective: this study aimed to investigate gestures in the speech-language pathology clinic and the dominant ideology in the light of the Materialist Discourse Analysis. Methods: twelve speech-language pathologists who work in different clinical fields were interviewed to investigate the main discursive thread supporting their discourse. These semi-open interviews were recorded and the discursive data were later transcribed. Fragments were extracted and analyzed from the above mentioned perspective. Results: the analysis shows that the conducting thread of the therapists’ discourse is the positivist ideology of Science, which fragments the subjects, body and language allocating speech and gesture in a hierarchy system where gesture is subordinated to the former. The language materiality shows an unconscious identification of the therapists with the signifier “Fono-Speech, Audio-Audio, Logia-Study” (Fonoaudiologia, or Speech-language Pathology in Portuguese), since the return of speech and their professional identity is brought up. From this perspective, there are formations that challenge the dominant ideology welcoming gesture as an important tool in the clinic, both in evaluation and treatment. Conclusion: the dominant ideological belief shows a hierarchical and historical association between speech and gesture that excludes gesture of the speech-language pathology clinic as it represents a threat to the speech status and the identity of this professional.