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Non-literal language/ Figurative speech

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SaveFerris
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08 Apr 2017, 4:12 pm

harry12345 wrote:
NikNak wrote:
How many people with a diagnosis find they have no problem with figurative speech (or taking things literally more than the average person) and actually use it themselves naturally?


I understand figurative speech.

However, what I do find myself doing is still seeing the literal interpretation in a humorous way. I am sure I can come up with examples - but my mind has gone blank.......

In a similar vein some one once asked me to bring some rock back from my summer holidays, so I did - I found them on the beach.

The other thing I find I do is twist newspaper headlines in an amusing to take the reported item to it's logical (and absurd) conclusion. As an example; a while ago the government banned UK parents from smoking in cars with children in the back. This straight away prompted a mental image of the parents in the front seats of the car (smoking away) and behind the car there was an old banger being towed which had the kids in, in the back seats. Thus obeying the letter of the law.

I fear however that I may take non-figurative speech more literally than I should and I think I get into "trouble" with that.



I had crossed 'figurative speech' off my possible ASD traits list but I do exactly the same as you.


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NikNak
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08 Apr 2017, 4:16 pm

Interesting. I'm fine with figurative language, sarcasm, etc. I might be a little slow on the uptake if someone is joking though.

For example, I was at a society meet and greet and they headed us all card with numbers for a game. I tend to fidget with whatever's in my hands and so crumpled mine. The girl in charge sees this and says I'll need another one, so I go to hand my current one back :lol:

Not taking things literally but misreading someone again; years ago I made a your mum joke and the guy says 'my mum's dead'. As this isn't an ucommom response I thought he was joking and it took a while to correct me :oops:

Occasionally I might misuse a figurative phrase or stumble during usage... or I use the same phrase for a while before I move onto something else...


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Dear_one
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09 Apr 2017, 5:15 am

My wife and I once got a letter accusing us of being nazis in one paragraph, and communists in another. I thought these claims pretty well neutralized each other. My wife was far less sanguine.



harry12345
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13 Apr 2017, 3:42 pm

harry12345 wrote:
However, what I do find myself doing is still seeing the literal interpretation in a humorous way. I am sure I can come up with examples - but my mind has gone blank.......


The obvious one that now springs to mind (days later) is when someone says "watch your back/fingers/hands etc".

I know they mean make sure I don't get hit/trapped with what ever they are moving, but I sometimes can't resist doing what they've told me to do to make them chuckle.