title: Cognitive impairment and pragmatics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One of the most important ingredients of felicitous conversation exchanges is the adequate expression of illocutionary force and the achievement of perlocutionary effects, which can be considered essential to the functioning of pragmatic competence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The breakdown of illocutionary and perlocutionary functions is one of the most prominent external features of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's Disease, with devastating psychological and social consequences for patients, their family and caregivers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study of pragmatic functions is essential for a proper understanding of the linguistic and communicative aspects of Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, The Ohio State University, 1775 College Road, Columbus, OH USA.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Rexach
authors.affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, The Ohio State University, 1775 College Road, Columbus, OH USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schatz
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Illocutionary and perlocutionary function; Pragmatic competence