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From: Klaas Bakker and Chris Wilkerson, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO
Date: 29 Apr 2010
Time: 07:25:03 -0500
Remote Name: 64.22.235.172
Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? This is the dilemma. It would be difficult to define what is not recognized as atypical communication. Someone first has to recognize the communication as outside the expected norm for the culture. This, then, permits a closer examination of the aberrant linguistic characteristics. Communication problems that are recognized by the field generally go through a process of developing a preliminary definition, which in turn is refined through research. Dr. Ken St. Louis and colleagues conducted an international cooperative research in other countries that validated there is an awareness of cluttering. Generally, those responsible for defining the disorder create a name that best approximates the nuances of the disorder. This would aid in increasing awareness of the disorder. I agree, absence of recognition does seem to lead to negative attitudes toward individuals whose speech deviates from the norm. For more information, there is a discussion about the definition on cluttering available on this conference website.