Psychodynamic theorists would predict that the verbal tics characterizing Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome should exhibit primitive syntax but complex semantics, while neurological considerations lead to an opposite expectation. A phrase structure grammar describing the tics and finite state grammars describing both the tics and the strings of tics observed in a patient suffering from the disease are presented. Zero- and one-limited grammars fail to describe adequately both tics and tic strings. However, a two-limited finite state grammar is presented which successfully generates the tics. Tics seem to vary in form independently of lexical environment.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Freud, S. ( 1938). The interpretation of dreams. Basic Writings (New York).
2.
Jakobson, R. ( 1966). Linguistic types of aphasia. In E. C. Carterette (ed.), Speech, Language, and Communication (Berkeley).
3.
Mahler, M. and Rangell, L. ( 1943). A psychosomatic study of Maladie des Tics (Gilles de la Tourette's Disease). Psychiat. Quart., 17, 579.
4.
Martindale, C. and Hines, D. ( 1973). Linguistic features in the speech of a case of Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome. Paper presented at X International Congress of Neurology (Barcelona).
5.
Shapiro, A.K., Shapiro, E., Wayne, H.L., Clarkin, J. and Bruun, R.D. ( 1973). Tourette's syndrome: summary of data on 34 patients . Psychosom. Med., 34, 419.
6.
Van Dijk, T.A. ( 1972). Some Aspects of Text Grammars (The Hague).
7.
Yngve, V. ( 1960). A model and an hypothesis for language structure . Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc., 104, 444.
