Laughter and humour: Their effects on autists’ language clinic

Abstract

In this paper we address the topic of laughter/humour in young children’s speech, which may or may not recognize the humour effect, caused in others and/or themselves. The work parts from an interactionism perspective on language acquisition, which allows to reflecting about the singularity of children’s speech and on subjectivation process in the child. Excerpts of dialogue between a child and an adult/therapist have been analysed, where child’s diverging segmentations from expected ones produce humour effects on both, or either of them. In addition, we consider which traits of therapist and child’s interaction would allow us to discern the differences between the language clinician’s interpretation and the psychoanalyst’s –one –when clinical work on autism is at issue–, taking into account that the concept of subject of unconsciousness is involved.