Language disturbances are among the main clinical features of schizophrenia
(e.g. Andreasen and Grove 1986; Covington et al. 2005; Koeda et al.
2006). Consequently, clinicians often face the problem of how to assess and
interpret these symptoms. This chapter focuses on the problem of
language assessment in patients with schizophrenia and its interpretation.
We begin by outlining the most accepted psycholinguistic models of
language production. We then focus on the characteristics of language
production in schizophrenia. In the review of the literature, we outline the
potential contributions of techniques of narrative analysis to the already
existing procedures of linguistic assessment. Finally, we draw some conclusions
on the nature of the linguistic production deficits observed in
patients with schizophrenia and their potential connections with other
cognitive deficits, such as those affecting attention and executive functions.
