INHIBITION AND LANGUAGE: A PRE-CONDITION FORSYMBOLIC COMMUNICATIVE BEHAVIOUR

摘要

Taking into consideration some aspects of the linguistic deficit observed inneurologically injured (aphasic) patients, the inhibition of verbal behaviour canbe viewed as an ability crucially involved in defining the nature of the symbolicmeans of communication. Inhibition is here understood as a preconscious(procedural) ability to suspend the use of language or to delay this use whencircumstances require it. The position of a hearer cannot be understood withoutappeal to this ability to inhibit the motor programs for linguistic production.Moreover, inhibition is a pre-condition for the establishment of a perceptualdifferential between actual (external) and virtual (inner) speech that permits botha development of dialogical frames and an abstraction operating on expressivemeans. Inhibition defines the first and foundational strategic option in the use ofa symbolic language. From a pragmatic point of view, the possibility of notusing a sign entails an added potential of meaning for this sign. In this way,expressive means are transformed into a unique object of attention andexperience for humans.