The relationship between the literal language and conduct problems among conduct disordered adolescents was examined in 109 subjects. The inability to use figurative language was found to be positively related to ratings of conduct problems. Both the parents' discipline style and nonuse of figurative language were related to 111 conduct problems in conduct disordered adolescents. The possible role of other variables, for example, age, sex, and IQ, was examined. Possible mechanisms that could relate the lack of figurative competence and conduct problems were explored.

This dissertation proposes a new method of studying pragmatic language use in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The existing research into pragmatic language use in ASD has predominantly used interviews and experiments in clinical environments to gather data from participants with ASD. These research methods focus heavily on comprehension, on comparing the performance of the participant with ASD to their non-autistic interlocutor. The methodology proposed in this thesis involves using observation and a naturalistic environment to gather conversational data that can be used to fill several gaps in the current research on pragmatic language use in ASD. In this study, people with ASD interacted with either non-autistic people or other people with ASD in triadic conversation sessions. These sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analysed for various pragmatic uses of language that previous research had observed were impaired, such as types of non-literal language and conversational turn taking. The pragmatic language use of three participants with ASD, representing three different levels of language ability, was analysed. The results showed that some participants used types of pragmatic language differently based on with whom they were communicating and also that some purported pragmatic impairments in ASD may not be as ‘impaired’ as they seemed based on previous research. For example, while all participants in this study used more interruptions when interacting with others with ASD compared to when interacting with non- autistic people, the rates of interruption were far less than what has been observed between non-autistic speakers (Hancock & Rubin, 2014), even though people with ASD have been described in the research literature as interrupting frequently (Ochs, Kremer-Sadlik, Sirota, & Solomon, 2004). The research presented in this dissertation has implications for future clinical research into pragmatic language impairments in any speech community and provides an additional methodology that can be used, expanding on the types of research questions that can be investigated in this area. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis proposes a new method of studying pragmatic language use in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This methodology involves using observation and the data that can be gathered using it can fill several gaps in the current research on pragmatic language use in ASD. In this study, people with ASD interacted with either non-autistic people or other people with ASD in triadic conversation sessions. These sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analysed for various aspects of pragmatic uses of language. The pragmatic language use of three participants with ASD, representing three different levels of language ability, was analysed. The results showed that some participants used types of pragmatic language differently based on with whom they were communicating and also that some purported pragmatic impairments in ASD may not be as ‘impaired’ as they seemed based on previous research.

Le langage non-littéral (expressions idiomatiques, métaphores, métonymies, etc.) se révèle être très présent dans nos conversations de la vie de tous les jours. Contrairement à ce que l’on pourrait penser, l’utilisation du langage figuré ne revêt pas exclusivement une fonction ornementale : au contraire, la linguistique cognitive a montré que le langage non-littéral est le reflet d’un certain nombre de concepts que nous abordons de manière métaphorique (Gibbs, 1995 ; Gibbs et Tendhal, 2006 ; Lakoff et Johnson, 1980 ; et Sperber et Wilson, 1986/1995). En lien avec cet ancrage théorique, un certain nombre de chercheurs se sont intéressés au domaine de l’apprentissage et de l’enseignement des langues secondes. Ils ont proposé des stratégies d’enseignement afin de garantir un apprentissage de la langue le plus complet possible et ont surtout étudié les compétences non-littérales des apprenants en réception (Andreou et al., 2009 ; Boers, 2000 ; Boers et Lindstromberg, 2009; Cooper, 1998 et 1999 ; Komur et Cimen, 2009 ; Kosciuk, 2003 ; et Lennon, 1998). En revanche, très peu de didacticiens se sont interrogés sur les capacités des apprenants à produire du non-littéral dans une langue étrangère à l’exception de Littlemore et al. (2014), MacArthur (2010) et Nacey (2013). Afin de corroborer le travail de ces chercheuses, ce travail de thèse s’intéresse au développement du langage figuratif chez des apprenants de langue seconde tout en proposant une comparaison avec son acquisition en langue maternelle. Dans le but d’avoir une première idée de la façon dont ces deux types de sujets manient le non-littéral, j’analyse tout d’abord le discours d’une petite fille de nationalité anglaise filmée à intervalles réguliers entre l’âge d’un an et quatre ans, puis j’examine les productions écrites en anglais d’apprenants francophones. J’observe ensuite les productions non-littérales d’enfants natifs anglophones âgés de 7, 11 et 15 ans, d’apprenants francophones en classe de seconde, première année de licence d’anglais et deuxième année de master d’anglais, et enfin, d’un groupe contrôle d’adultes anglophones en interactions semi-guidées. Les résultats de ces différentes analyses révèlent de nombreux points communs entre les productions figuratives des enfants natifs anglophones et des apprenants francophones. La principale différence entre ces sujets se situe au niveau de la proportion de formes figuratives produites (croissante chez les enfants, mais constante chez les apprenants), de la proportion de formes figuratives conventionnelles produites (croissante chez les apprenants, mais constante chez les enfants) et de la forte proportion de formes déviantes chez les apprenants. Ces formes proviennent principalement d’une carence en ressources lexicales de la langue étrangère et d’expressions figuratives du français que les apprenants ont souhaité transposer en anglais. Cette thèse propose un ensemble d’implications pédagogiques pour la classe de langue dans le but de remédier à ces difficultés. / Research has shown that non-literalness is pervasive in language and that it is not always an ornamental device (e.g. to invest time in something, to be in love, the leg of a table, etc.). Metaphor permeates our way of thinking (Gibbs, 1995; Gibbs and Tendahl, 2006; Lakoff and Johnson, 1980) and serves a wide variety of discursive functions (Cameron, 2003; Charteris-Black, 2004; Müller, 2008; Steen, 2008, 2011, 2013). In the light of these findings, I propose to examine non-literal language from a second language acquisition perspective, as we know that language learners struggle to develop a successful command of the conceptual and figurative system of their L2 (Andreou and Galantomos, 2009; Irujo, 1986; Cooper, 1999; Danesi, 1992, 1995). Besides, even if recent studies have started to document L2 metaphorical performance (Littlemore et al., 2014; McArthur, 2010; Nacey 2009 and 2013), little is known about the way it actually develops across learning stages. As an attempt to bridge this gap, I propose a comparative study of figurative language development in first and second language acquisition. To get a preliminary picture of the use of non-literal language by native English-speaking children and French learners of English, I analyse the discourse of a young English child aged 1 to 4 using the Forrester Corpus available on the CHILDES database (MacWhinney, 2000), and I investigate essays written by French university students majoring in Arts and learning English as a second language. Then, I propose an L1/L2 comparative study where I analyze semi-guided interactions taking place between native English-speaking children (aged 7, 11 and 15), French learners of English (in their first year of high school, first year of B.A. in English studies and last year of M.A. in English studies), as well as native English-speaking adults. The results of this PhD project revealed many similar aspects in the figurative productions of native English-speaking children and French students. One of the main differences between the two groups is related to the amount of figurative forms produced, which increases across ages in children’s discourse while remaining constant in learners’ discourse. Another important difference is the amount of conventional figurative forms produced; they increase across learning stages in the learner’s production but remain constant in the children’s. Lastly, I observed a large amount of deviant figurative forms in the leaner’s productions, mainly resulting from L1 transfers and lexical overextensions. Taking into account these observations, implications for teaching are presented.