Decoding NT "Doublespeak" Words - guide

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To help my fellow Aspies with reading between the lines, I've compiled a list of common "doublespeak" terms you hear NTs using - sometimes the nuances of these are missed, but if they're said with a pause or hesitant speech, they tend to be negative. Elaborate on my list if you have other "doublespeak" terms to contribute...

"Interesting" - used as NT code to flag either a) someone who is a bit off, or b) something seen as irrelevant e.g. "OK...well, that...was an interesting presentation you gave"

"Maybe" or "Perhaps" - usually a negative, e.g. "Maybe you'd be better off doing X activity instead of Y with us." or "We were thinking, perhaps you would be happier somewhere else."

"Sweet" - used by young NT women to describe a guy who is naive or too nice out of desperation.

"Different" - used to mask any explicit "bad" reference, e.g. "Well, the way you deal with people isn't really bad, it's just...different, I guess."

"Certain People" - said in a group, e.g. "I understand that certain people will need more time than others" - usually singling out one individual.

"Special" - no explanation required.

"A little (more/less)" - usually means A LOT more or less. Example: "Well, I really think you could...be a little less blunt when you're speaking to so-and-so."

I see....





I get "I see..." a lot,

I get "interesting" a lot. I am very "interesting".

"You certainly have a way of putting things."

Personally, not being sure whether I am NT or not, I use the word Sweet in a nice way. I kind of like shy guys for example so when I say it is sweet, I mean it is sweet, genuinely. Its cute. I prefer 'mr shy or mr socially awkward' to 'mr I have my head rammed right up my ass I am so arrogant'. I like nice guys too!

Busy - I don't want to

Frances

Had an hour long conversation about the meaning of that word on MSN, with a friend who "thinks she's NT" but reacts in familiar ways (like, she can sustain an hour long conversation about the meaning of a word lol....)
She said "interesting" and I asked "do you mean "interesting" or "weird"?" then the conversation moved to exactly the topic you just created. Except she got mixed up and thought I was making up random meanings for words when I tried to explain I was translating NT speech....
That conversation was a mess, and this topic is well needed. Yes that's all I was aiming at

All of the above "doublespeak" terms are used quite often. I recognize them well, and have used some of them...particularly "interesting", quite a lot. You have to be able to identify emphasises on words and the tone of voice used with these in order to identify them. I'll add some more of these once I can think of some.

For the examples used, here is how you would likely hear them...

"OK...well, that...was an interesting presentation you gave" - notice the hesitancy in describing the presentation.

"Maybe you'd be better off doing X activity instead of Y with us." - slower pace.

"Sweet" - said in a slowish tone that indicates hesitancy, perhaps with an uneven facial expression or polite smile.

"Well, the way you deal with people isn't really bad, it's just...different, I guess." - the pause is stretched out.

"I understand that certain people will need more time than others" - certain people is said slower and sometimes with a glance or nonverbal gesture towards the person.

"Special" - same as "different."

"Well, I really think you could...be a little less blunt when you're speaking to so-and-so."
- hesitancy & drawn out pause

"I'll call you back" is a way to get off the phone, and chances are you'll never get their call back.

Here's one I get from NT's all the time...

"OK....(long pause)"
translation: "I have no idea what you are talking about, perhaps you should just climb back into your spaceship and go back to whatever planet you came from. By the way, your antennae are showing."

^

"Can I be honest with you?"=means "Can I insult you?" An example would be you ask someone a yes or no question and they ask instead if they can be honest with you. They are not asking you if they can give you an honest yes or no answer. Instead they are not going to answer yes or no, they want to tell you something bad.


I have gotten "interesting" too. I got that from my therapist one time about my fetish and now I wonder if she thought it was off because it's "not normal" but she acted positive about it. Of course she would, she is a therapist and they are not allowed to judge their patients. They are to keep a positive attitude.

Do you mean they say "OK" quickly and then pause? Because I do that, it just means "I acknowledge that I have heard what you said, but I have no comment to make in relation to it. You may either continue, or consider the conversation to have ended".

I have heard "Okaaaaay" used to probably mean what you have said.

It's more a sort of *you finish talking* - *slight pause* "...ok..." thing, I think.

Oh, ok.

^^^ Great translation!

"We'll see" - apparently means "Never gonna happen".