Abstract: It is necessary to initiate research on geronto-linguisitics that focuses on the language degradation of the elderly group since the aging problem around the world appears to be increasingly severe. Studies in geronto-linguistics should have more comprehensive and profound exploration on pragmatic competence. This paper provides a review of the research on pragmatic competence decline of the elderly group in terms of theoretical perspectives, research methods and current topics. It suggests that we should pay more attention to the following three aspects:the language degradation of the Chinese elderly, comparison between normal elderly and elderly with dementia or between the elderly speaking different mother tongues, and interdisciplinary study involving neurology, linguistics and psychology, etc. Additionally, multimodal studies should also be enhanced.

Key words: geronto-linguistics, pragmatic competence decline, research methods, theoretical perspectives, frontier topics