When innuendo is no longer heard

Ironic remarks or indirect requests are part of our everyday dialogue. But certain brain lesions can alter the grasp of the hidden meaning of these expressions. During her PhD, speech therapist Natacha Cordonier studied these disorders, from diagnosis to treatment. Exclaiming 'What a great weather! during a picnic, when the weather is rainy. Whispering 'It's cold in here' to ask to close the window, without expressly saying so. These two formulations illustrate the notion of non-literal language, so called when the meaning intended by the speaker does not correspond to the meaning of the words actually pronounced. The two examples cited refer to easily identifiable practices: the first invokes irony, while the second expresses an indirect request.