Bodies and Language

Book excerpt: Focusing on body conditions associated with breast cancer, Alzheimer's disease, (type-1) diabetes, epilepsy, partial hearing and autism, this book draws on a range of critical theories to contest collectively assembled notions of 'abnormality, ' 'disability' and 'impairments' and ways in which they emerge through language. It also addresses the need for applied sociolinguists to take account of how our researching practices - the texts we produce, the orientations we assume, the theoretical grounds from which we proceed-- create 'meanings' about bodies and 'normalcy', and the importance of remaining ever vigilant and civically responsible in what we do or claim to do.