Non-Communicative Use of Spoken Language NC
13.51 . DE is a repetition of words or phrases that someone else has said. There are two types of echolalia. They are immediate echolalia and delayed echolalia.
Immediate echolalia occurs when autistic person repeats words or phrases just spoken by others. Meanwhile, delayed echolalia is the repetition of words or
phrases that have been spoken by others in the past. The repetition of words or phrases also can be snatched from videos, songs, films, or television jingles that
autistic person has ever heard before. Both types can be found in the movie Temple Grandin although immediate
echolalia only occurs once out of 5 data. The phenomenon of immediate echolalia can be shown in the example below.
Lecturer I : Aves-vouz lu la page, Mile Grandin Speaking French
Temple : No. I dont want to study French. I want to learn science.
Other students : laughing Lecturer I
: Read the page, please. Temple
: Read it.
Datum 11FDE
The conversation above occurs when Temple is studying French. Her lecturer gets Temple to read the book by saying
“Aves-vouz lu la page, Mile Grandin”. His utterance means read the page, Miss Grandin. Temple does not
understand what her lecturer says because she actually hates French class. Then, other students laugh when Temple says that she does not want to learn French.
This makes her uncomfortable in the class. Her lecturer tries to use English in getting her to read the page. Temple‟s utterance in the dialogue above “read it” is
in the form of immediate echolalia because it is the repetition of her lecturer‟s
utterance that she has just heard.
The following example shows delayed echolalia experienced by Temple Grandin in the movie. This repetition often occurs in a film entitled The Man from
U.N.C.L.E watched by Temple. She imitates this repetition from the film. Temple and Ms Ann are in a car. They go to Ms Ann’s home
Temple
: The wolf is growling and the man with shoutgun says to Illya Kuryakin,
“would you like for me to open the gate
?” Ms Ann
: I‟m sorry,Temple, you lost me Datum 02FDE
Temple is still in MsAnn’s car T emple
:“the man from U.N.C.L.E.” “the gazebo in the maze”. The wolf is growling and the man with shoutgun says
to Illya Kuryakin,
“would you like for me to open the gate
?” “would you like for me to open the gate?”
Ms Ann : you okay?
Datum 03FDE Unlike the previous datum that shows immediate echolalia, both examples
are delayed echolalia. The conversations above occur in Ann‟s car after picking up Temple from airport. On the way to Ann‟s home, Temple always talks about a
film entitled The Man from U.N.C.L.E without thinking that Ms Ann does not know about the film. Temple often watches the film. She can memorise
everything from it. The utterances that Temple says in the dialogue above are repetition from actors in the film. The repetitions uttered by Temple are in the
form of delayed echolalia. Another example presented is delayed echolalia. Temple immitates
utterances from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The example is shown as follows. In Temple’s bedroom, at night
Temple
: 23 hours. 59 minutes and four, three, two, one, zero hours, Mr Solo
Datum 14FDE
The utterance in datum 14FDE takes place when Temple is waiting for the best time to take her squeeze machine. That is at 24.00 o‟clock. She wakes up
at midnight in order to avoid some securities at her college. She wants to get back her squeeze machine that is thrown because there is no permission to use it. Her
utterance repeats a scene in the film The Man from U.N.C.L.E.