Clinical Linguistics is a sub-discipline of linguistics that involves the application of linguistic theory to the field of Speech-Language Pathology. Clinical linguistics, a branch of applied linguistics, is the use of linguistics to describe, analyze, and treat language disabilities. The study of linguistic aspect of communication disorders is of relevance to a broader understanding of language and linguistic theory.
The International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association is the unofficial organization of the field, and was formed in 1991. The journal of Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics is the major research journal of the field and was founded by Martin J. Ball.
Practitioners of clinical linguistics typically work in Speech-Language Pathology departments or linguistics departments. They conduct research with the aims of (i) improving the assessment, treatment, and analysis of disordered speech/language, and (ii) offering insights to formal linguistic theories.