This paper discusses Speech and Language clinic as a science, particularly the definition of its object of study and its subdivision aiming at the consolidation of its status as science. It is assumed for the purpose of this argumentation, that the object of study for Speech-Language pathology is the clinical approach to language and its pathological process, as long as language is considered as the symbolic instance of subjectivity constitution. If it is assumed that this hypotheses is true, there are two major consequences: Audiology would be understood as a branch of biological sciences and therefore would not share the same object of Speech-Language pathology, and second, would stand against the understanding of Speech-Language clinic as a mere practice. On the other hand, this conception defines the speech-language therapist as a clinician, involved with the patient's language and its cure. Furthermore, it recognizes Linguistics and Psychoanalysis as sciences of peculiar interest for the speech-language therapist since that they share with Speech-Language pathology the same concept of language and subject. Once that Speech-Language pathology is redefined, it will face the task of recognizing the clinical practice as the locus of and therefore will have to discuss the constitution of its clinical method. Finally, this paper brings to the attention of the speech-language therapist the threat of a new domination in case of particular forms of interpretation of Speech-Language pathology clinic not being distinguished from the psychoanalytic practice.
Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; Science; Speech-Language Pathology; Language