La costruzione dell’intersoggettività nella comunicazione aumentata e alternativa (CAA)

In this paper we investigate communication which includes the use of computer-based speech aids by people with severe cerebral palsy (Augmented and Alternative Communication, AAC).The electronic speech aid not only produces a disembodied language (synthetic speech), but also has a massive impact on the mutual corporeal attunement of the participants. It slows down the production of turns to such a degree that sequential structure – and hence also mutual understanding – are in danger of being destroyed, and it brings about the Aug-mented/Alternative Communicator's withdrawal from the ongoing focused interaction. It will be shown that these detrimental effects of AAC can lead to a breakdown in temporal, sequen-tial and topical structure, and to interactional failure and lack of understanding. However, we will also be shown that there are ways to overcome these risks when the user reduces the time needed to output speech by refraining from putting together complex utterances; this strategy requires co-participants' willingness and competence to integrate the machine-produced se-mantic hint into a sequence of 'post-processing'.