Thesis (B.Sc)--University of Hong Kong, 2010."A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science (Speech and Hearing Sciences), The University of Hong Kong, June 30, 2010."Includes bibliographical references (p. 24-29).This paper investigates the role of intonation cue and SFPs in the comprehension of verbal irony
in Cantonese-speaking children with ASD and their typically developing (TD) peers. Thirteen
children with ASD (8;3-12;9) were language-matched with 13 TD peers. By manipulating the
two variables, 16 vignettes embedded with potentially ironic criticisms were constructed. The
participants were asked to judge the belief and intention of the characters in the vignettes with
reference to the remarks. Both groups performed similarly well in the judgement of the speaker’s
belief. For the speaker’s intent, the clinical group performed significantly poorer and did not rely
on either cue, whereas the control group depended more on SFPs than supra-segmental
intonation cues. The differential patterns between the two groups were discussed in light of the
literature on the theory of mind ability as well as the typological features of Cantonese.published_or_final_versionSpeech and Hearing SciencesBachelorBachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science
