Linguagem na esquizofrenia: interpretando déficits estruturais

This paper aims at offering an overview of the language anomalies observed in patients with schizophrenia, providing the diagnostic criteria of the disorder and a detailed characterization of linguistic issues observed. It focuses on grammar as a cognitive system of the mind, conceptualized as a computational mechanism responsible for weaving sound/sign and meaning together in a productive and optimal way. We present the linguistic deficits in morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics, while exploring the hypothesis that schizophrenia leads to diminution in grammar complexity. We also cover methods of data collection and analysis, including modern formal linguistic approaches and natural language processing (NLP) techniques. The discussed results indicate the potential role of language as a biomarker of schizophrenia, being particularly informative about how structure building is affected by the disorder.Keywords: Schizophrenia. Syntax. Semantics. Pragmatics. Morphology.