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Having Aspergers and language learning. | ||
Tags: Autism | Foreign Languages | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| Thor1987 Groupie Canada Joined 4519 days ago 65 posts - 84 votes  Studies: German | Message 1 of 28 26 March 2013 at 10:43pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Alright I know this topic has been mentioned before, but I think I might have a slightly
different context. Although it's obvious that a people that have an aversion to social interaction may not be the best learnings of a languages by immersion. I think to counter this it seems there is a much stronger ability for people with aspergers to learn language by self study. Has anyone else noticed this trend? 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| tanya b Senior Member United States Joined 4563 days ago 159 posts - 518 votes Speaks: Russian | Message 2 of 28 27 March 2013 at 1:29am | IP Logged | |||||
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I have not been diagnosed with AS but I share some traits with many of those those who have it. Those traits include--
1) repetitiveness 2) extreme resistance to change of any kind 3) a vivid imagination 4) introversion These traits can potentially serve a learner very well who learns through self-study. With repetitiveness and associated behaviors it's obvious why a learner with AS could go very far because language learning differs from other hobbies in that it is dreadfully monotonous. With more adventurous hobbies like fly fishing or cliff diving the participant never knows what to expect. A language textbook is predictable and therefore unthreatening to those with AS. Those with extreme resistance to change fear anything that deviates from what they consider "logical" or outside their comfort zone. Even the most "illogical" language has its own logic to it and a learner with AS is reassured by the fact that the language will not throw him any curveballs. With patient study and skilled application of grammatical rules, a learner is almost guaranteed some level of proficiency. Languages must by nature be logical and consistent, devoid of randomness, therefore bringing order out of the chaos that some with AS may feel is closing in on them. A vivid imagination is key when a learner begins to explore the area of self-talk, because eventually a learner will run out of topics and his imagination will provide him plenty of raw material. Every day I do 3 20-minute "speeches" in Russian, Armenian and Farsi on a wide range of topics. Today I talked about why Finland is my favorite country. Because my Farsi isn't that good I had to use the word "athlete" instead of "hockey player" because I don't know that word in Farsi. Introverts do not fear isolation, in fact they are renewed by it. An extrovert like my husband feeds off of the energy generated by social interaction, but those with AS may not find the absence of a conversation partner an impediment to fluency. With reference to self-talk, I don't care if anyone is listening--sometimes it's just God and the spider who lives in the shower drain. Edited by tanya b on 27 March 2013 at 1:35am 9 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Random review Diglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5568 days ago 781 posts - 1310 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Portuguese, Mandarin, Yiddish, German | Message 3 of 28 27 March 2013 at 4:38am | IP Logged | |||||
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I can think of at least one very well-known polyglot, who makes excellent videos and
gives excellent advice, that I have long been convinced has Aspergers. It is interesting to see how different strategies work for different personalities. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Astrophel Tetraglot Senior Member United States Joined 5517 days ago 157 posts - 345 votes Speaks: English*, Latin, German, Spanish Studies: Russian, Cantonese, Polish, Sanskrit, Cherokee | Message 4 of 28 27 March 2013 at 7:18am | IP Logged | |||||
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Well people with Asperger's aren't necessarily asocial, they're just wired differently in a way that can make normal social interactions difficult. Learning another language isn't any more difficult than making conversation in the native one.
1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6488 days ago 9078 posts - 16473 votes Speaks: Danish*, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Romanian, Catalan Studies: Afrikaans, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Latin, Irish, Lowland Scots, Indonesian, Polish, Croatian Personal Language Map | Message 5 of 28 27 March 2013 at 11:47am | IP Logged | |||||
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I wouldn't call languages "devoid of randomness", but apart from that Tanya_b's analysis of the attraction of home studies for Aspergers and people with somewhat similar personalities sounds quite convincing. Which reminds me of the title of a homepage - something like "Shut up - I'm learning your language" Edited by Iversen on 27 March 2013 at 11:48am 4 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| leosmith Senior Member United States Joined 6335 days ago 2365 posts - 3804 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Tagalog | Message 6 of 28 27 March 2013 at 5:19pm | IP Logged | |||||
Who? 4 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| dbag Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4807 days ago 605 posts - 1046 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 7 of 28 27 March 2013 at 5:56pm | IP Logged | |||||
I would love to know too, but I doubt it would be appropriate to say publicly. Could you send me a pm? 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| schoenewaelder Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5345 days ago 759 posts - 1197 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: German, Spanish, Dutch | Message 8 of 28 27 March 2013 at 7:51pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I recall that some polyglots got a little offended by the book "Babel no More" that suggested that there might be an positive correlation between aspergers and polyglottery. Edited by schoenewaelder on 27 March 2013 at 7:52pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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