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Title Language and Conceptualization in Autism: A Study from the perspective of cognitive semantics.

Author(s) Syeda Huma Batool Naqvi

Abstract ABSTRACT Title: Language and Conceptualization in Autism: A Study from the Perspective of Cognitive Semantics This thesis looks at the language and conceptualization in autism from the perspective of embodiment offered by Cognitive Semantics – concepts are embodied and are mirrored through language. Thirteen verbal children with autism were treated as thirteen cases and their behaviour and linguistic data were analyzed to investigate following three interests: 1) the nature of their embodiment (sensory-perceptual experiences); 2) the disposition of their conception regarding real-life events; and 3) the relation between their embodiment and their conception of events as revealed through their discourses. The study is delimited to two real-life events: School Routine and Birthday Party. The former is experienced by the children five days a week, while the latter is experienced once a month. The study is further delimited to three modalities: visual, auditory and proprioception. The visual, auditory and proprioceptive embodiments of children with autism were explored through Sensory Profile Checklist Revised (SPCR) (Bogdashina, 2005), while their conception and processing of real life events were identified and determined after analyzing their discourses through Cognitive Discourse Analysis (CODA) Tenbrink (2015). The qualitative analysis of linguistic data revealed the expected association between absence and presence of concepts, and sensory processing of verbal children with autism. The findings were discussed in the perspective of Cognitive Semantics that offers a relation between embodiment, conceptualization and language. The study concluded with the proposition that autism be viewed from the perspective of embodiment. This offers a more flexible and developmental approach towards individuals with autism and treats them just like neurotypicals – the perception and conception (of events schemas) are determined by their unique embodiment (sensory-perceptual experiences). The proposed cognitive theory of autism “theory of embodied processing” also seems to resolve the issues of universality, specificity and uniqueness that already existing cognitive theories of autism – Theory of Mind Deficit, Theory of Executive Functioning and Theory of Weak Central Coherence – have been trying to resolve.

Type Thesis/Dissertation PhD

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2019-01-18

Subject English Linguistics

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