I’ve been seeing the use of the phrase “functinally illiterate”, and it got me thinking that I don’t think there is such a thing when it’s speech instead of the written word. There are plenty of instances I can think of where I or someone I knew was simply not capable of or didn’t want to try to understand something that was said. Is there something that means not bring able or refusing to comprehend speech when that person is fluent in the language being spoken?
You are either dealing with a troll(who would then use it to insult you)
Or
You are predicting or mindreading a person’s intention(which can bring your own frustration)
In each scenario you may have to make a judgment call on your own to spot the difference.
If you’ve tried several times to explain it; the person could be having an issue understanding it. Might it be a learning difficulty. They might be just as frustrated as you might become trying to explain it. They might even be visibility upset particularly if it’s a learning ability problem. At this point I’d say it’s ok to walk away or find something else to talk about and maybe revisit another time. Or don’t. Just stick to other topics. no harm in letting them alone about topics if they are too complicated and making them uncomfortable. Or find another way to even explain it that might even get through.
If however the person decides to insult you and misinterpret your words, find ways to harm you: you have a troll on your hands and it comes to them easily and they even smile while doing it(similar to siblings when they fight) but they take it too far. block or walk away, do not revisit. Avoid them at every chance they try to get under your skin. They abuse communication for fun and suck up your time.
If you’re around someone in a chronic case that gets worse as time goes on: They have a different disorder and not one as innocent as a learning disability. Cut off all contact. It’s an abusive relationship.
If it’s a sibling and it’s simply a jibe(doesnt get worse/short lived); feel free to develop some jibes yourself to get them back. Here’s one that has stood the test of time: “your face” It can be even healthy. Kind of like how pups or kittens play fight to try to train each other to deal with the real world. And sometimes it’s just good to laugh. Reminds that life doesnt have to be so serious and there is space to play in.
I think this is why language is tricky as there are many nuances to pick up on.