Published on 12, July, 2020
This thread is the result of a discussion with Out of Step but also something I've been thinking about this past year, since diagnosis.
Years ago, when my friend was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, as was, I skim read some of his book: The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome by Tony Attwood.
One section resonated.
I can't check out the wording now as I don't own it but it was about how autistic people may not speak as non autistic people do and may not use the language commonly used by their peers.
They may, for example, use what used to be called 'BBC English' as my mother did and I do, despite being working class and having gone to working class schools.
We didn't pick up a local accent.
However, some people may pick up the accent but be fascinated by words and use uncommon words.
Also, when I was at school I used words no-one knew the meaning of.
I did actually use a dictionary a lot when I was reading and learnt these more unusual words (and mispronounced them, as I still do) so that's probably part of the reason why.
My mother also used words I'd never heard anyone else use and said that when she was young she would read the dictionary.
She also constantly used the old sayings and phrases (eg a stitch in time saves nine) and I find my speech peppered with these phrases and anachronistic words.
I think that this difference also extends to speech patterns.
Anyone else experience similar and have any knowledge about this to add?
Thanks.
if i read a book the fancier words that no one ever uses in those books tend to stick in my head and come out on top of my brains word to pick for the moment list. my mind ends up not being able to remember the common normal word for the thing and uses the most recent word i remember for it, so when a book uses overly smart words my brain tends to pick them and i forget the normal word as if its on the tip of my tongue but out of laziness i use the last remembered one which would be the one i read.oh and there was a time when i was ringing microsoft customer care so they could fix my xbox 360 that had red rings of death. they had me spell something out as they couldnt understand me and wanted me to not only spell out a word or code but also do it in that weird... foxtrot language whatever it is lol ... i dont know that... so i ended up sayong O for oxygen, H for hydrogen... i realised this then i came to E... i wanted to say electrolytes lol .... but after i said oxygen and hydrogen i was like, yeah no im not doing that... but then i couldnt think of anything for E so i was like...E for.... errr..... errr.... then the call center person said "elephant!" and i said yeah that lol
I always do that ha ha ha. It's called the phonetic alphabet btw. N for... Naughty? F for.... Freckless???
E for existentialism!
I'm definitely using "E for electrolytes" from now on. Before now Ive said N for nougat and Y for yoghurt.
Yea - I can definitely end up with a "fancy" word that "sticks" and I find myself using it over and over for either days, weeks or months until it settles back down as just "a word" rather than "the word."
.....it's not cool.....I sound like a bit of a kn ob at the best of times (unless I'm masking or mimicking to one particular character).....but when I find myself lacing in the word "prophetic" or "parochial" or "discombobulated" while buying a pint of milk.....I hear myself sounding like a megaknob!