I think Data just doesn't LIKE to use contractions. - Page 4

Draculasaurus · January 16 2013, 09:31 PM

Christopher wrote:

Draculasaurus wrote:

What kind of half-assed robot can't use contractions anyway?
They're in the dictionary, they're real words.
He either doesn't like to use them, or likes to lie about not being able to.

Actually some real people with autistic-spectrum conditions like Asperger's Syndrome prefer to use formal language. For instance:

http://www.iloveaba.com/2012/09/aspe...er-autism.html

Aspie kids talk like very short adults- Due to a very concrete understanding of language and advanced verbal skills, Aspie kids select and use their words carefully. Their vocal affect may sound stilted, or as if they are reading a speech off of note cards. They avoid lazy communicating, such as using slang or contractions. Instead of saying “I’m gonna’ go to karate after school, yay!” they would say something like “When school is finished I have a karate class. I like karate very much, and I am excellent at it. There are 7 kids in my karate class. There is David, and there is Robert, and…..” Aspie kids also usually don’t know how to end sentences or switch topics, and will often keep talking about a particular topic even though the listener is showing absolutely no signs of listening.

Essentially Data's behavior in a lot of respects is very much like that of a person with Asperger's or high-function autism.

Yeah, there's definitely a similarity between Data's behavior and experiences and autism.
I friend of mine, after being diagnosed with autism mused; "no wonder I always identified with Data more than the other characters".
At the same time, I don't think that we can conclude that an inability to express (or experience) emotions has anything to do with using contractions.
If someone with Asperger's "feels" more comfortable using formal language, that's still an emotional response which Data doesn't have.

Christopher · January 16 2013, 09:40 PM

Draculasaurus wrote:

At the same time, I don't think that we can conclude that an inability to express (or experience) emotions has anything to do with using contractions.

That's not what I was suggesting. I was simply saying that contractions can be considered analogous to slang and idioms in that they're a form of abstract and nonliteral communication, using one word to represent a different one (or ones), and thus a person who has difficulty grasping the latter could also have difficulty with the former.

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