New terms for people with Asperger's syndrome and their pragmatic function within the community of people with Asperger's syndrome. Based on the example of the lexical units aspi and aspergerowiec

Abstract

Introduction. Using new lexical units such as aspi or aspergerowiec helps to express the intention of breaking negative stereotypes associated with people with Asperger syndrome. The aforementioned terms appear in contexts both postulating equal chances for intellectually impaired people and presenting these people in a neutral light.

Objective. The aim of the article is to discuss the pragmatic function of statements containing the lexemes aspi and aspergerowiec, and to highlight the role of these neologisms.

Materials and methods. The research materials consisted of web-based texts, which were built based on monitoring corpus MoncoPL, and supplemented with an analysis of content from Google search and Google Graphics. Both the meaning and collocations of the lexemes aspi and aspergerowiec were analyzed. Online dictionaries of the Polish language were used to systematize the definitions of the researched words. An analysis of the pragmatic function was conducted on the basis of the typology of pragmatic acts by Zbigniew Nęcki and Aleksy Awdiejew.

Results. The observations presented in this article may serve as inspiration for researches on the relationship between the motivation of creating words associated by meaning with defining disability and the purpose and intention of those using them.