Pronoun reversal, or pronominal reversal, is when individuals, typically children, refer to themselves as "he", "she", "they", or "you", or by their proper name (
pronoun avoidance
Pronoun avoidance is the use of kinship terms, titles and other complex nominal expressions instead of personal pronouns in speech.
Linguistics
Many languages feature the T–V distinction, where two or more different pronouns are used contextual ...
).
While it may signal
autism spectrum disorder
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...
when it persists for an unusual length of time, some degree of pronoun confusion can occur as a part of
allistic speech development, and it is common in toddlers.
Pronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun (Interlinear gloss, glossed ) is a word or a group of words that one may substitute for a noun or noun phrase.
Pronouns have traditionally been regarded as one of the part of speech, parts of speech, but so ...
reversal is closely linked to
echolalia
Echolalia is the unsolicited repetition of vocalizations made by another person; when repeated by the same person, it is called palilalia. In its profound form it is automatic and effortless. It is one of the echophenomena, closely related to ...
: referring to themselves as they have heard others speak of them, resulting in the misapplication of pronouns.
For example:
:Parent: ''What are you doing, Johnny?''
:Child: ''You're here.''
:Parent: ''Are you having a good time?''
:Child: ''You sure are.''
As with many other autistic traits, if speech continues to develop more normally, this pronoun reversal might be expected to disappear. However, it can also be highly resistant to change. Some children require extensive training to stop pronoun reversal, even after they have stopped echolalia.
References
# Tramontana & Stimbert, 1970
# Davison, Neale & Kring, 2004
External links
Gold, Kevin and Brian Scassellati, "Grounded Pronoun Learning and Pronoun Reversal", Yale University (2006)
Autism
Pronouns
{{Autism-stub