my problems with formal thought disorder take a number of forms and i wouldn’t say that when i’m “word salad” it’s quite like what you describe. mine is more…far more jumbled, i guess. it goes from “clanging” to just …it’s meaningful TO ME, but i’ve looked at things i’ve written in journals and it isn’t coherent at all. it’s more like gibberish without syntax.
when it starts happening (problems with formal thought disorder) though, for me it’s not like, BOOM! sudden incoherence. it slips to that point. so it’s hard to say where he is on that slope, if that makes sense.
but then there are other variations that sound more like you describe.
i would say he has more loose associations than word salad at this point, from what you describe. that’s what i’m said to have when i’m more like that. he might be doing word approximations…but then…how is outerwear not winter clothing? i don’t know…that makes sense to me.
the cognition thing, i don’t understand your question, i think. i mean, psychosis is supposedly a cognition hit, but then having formal thought disorder problems can be aided by meds for some, for me it is a great deal, but then, i guess some things remain because i don’t see what’s all that odd about a couple of the examples you gave.