“That was a long time ago”

Abstract

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.