Preliminary analysis of language styles in a sample of schizophrenics

Language use of schizophrenics and normal people was compared by applying the language analysis program, Korean Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. Participants were asked to write a story about the most emotional experience of their lives on A4 size paper. 28 schizophrenics (M age: 26 yr.) and 32 normal people (M age: 23 yr.) participated. Analysis showed normal people used more words about jobs and achievements and fewer words about sex and food. The schizophrenics used fewer pronouns, personal pronouns, and adverbs than the normal group. Some aspects of clinical mechanism are manifest in language uses.