A psycholinguistic analysis of the use of language by disabled characters in: mosteghanemi’s memory in the flesh and plath’s the bell jar

Abstract

This thesis addresses the impact of physical and mental disability on language use. Disability is an inseparable aspect of human existence. Despite its pervasive presence in life, it still occupies an almost invisible place in literature. Because fictional representations inform the way we conceive and interpret physical impairment and mental distress, understanding the language of disabled people is vital to understand disability. This thesis argues that the language of disability is an embodied phenomenon. It examines the psychological effects of disability and their linguistic reflections through a psycholinguistic analysis of two novels portraying disabled characters: Mosteghanemi’s Memory in the Flesh and Plath’s The Bell Jar. The two novels feature both physical impairment and mental disorder. Thus, they provide deeper insights into the psychological and linguistic nature of disability. The study begins with Plath’s The Bell Jar. Using many autobiographical elements, Plath provides an account of the hysteric, schizophrenic and depressive experience of Esther Greenwood; a nineteen years old American student. The concern is to demonstrate the semantic, syntactic, discursive and pragmatic manifestation of mental disability in the narrative. As for physical disability, Mosteghanemi’s Memory in the Flesh is examined. Mosteghanemi depicts the traumatic experience of Khalid Ben Toubal; a war-disabled artist. The linguistic reflections of disability in Khalid’s narrative are figured out in the use of paralanguage, body language, silence, and nonverbal art as a form of expression. These fictional representations of disability in its different forms bring into light the daily struggles of disabled people, reflected in a language of alienation, repression, self-estrangement and discriminatory practices. Analysing the language of disability in literature may help to achieve a better understanding of disability as a creative force and an aspect of richness in human nature. A more comprehensive conception of disability represents a triumph of diversity over normalization and adversity.