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Coventry KR, Gudde HB, Diessel H, Collier J, Guijarro-Fuentes P, Vulchanova M, Vulchanov V, Todisco E, Reile M, Breunesse M, Plado H, Bohnemeyer J, Bsili R, Caldano M, Dekova R, Donelson K, Forker D, Park Y, Pathak LS, Peeters D, Pizzuto G, Serhan B, Apse L, Hesse F, Hoang L, Hoang P, Igari Y, Kapiley K, Haupt-Khutsishvili T, Kolding S, Priiki K, Mačiukaitytė I, Mohite V, Nahkola T, Tsoi SY, Williams S, Yasuda S, Cangelosi A, Duñabeitia JA, Mishra RK, Rocca R, Šķilters J, Wallentin M, Žilinskaitė-Šinkūnienė E, Incel OD. Spatial communication systems across languages reflect universal action constraints. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:2099-2110. [PMID: 37904020 PMCID: PMC10730392 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01697-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
The extent to which languages share properties reflecting the non-linguistic constraints of the speakers who speak them is key to the debate regarding the relationship between language and cognition. A critical case is spatial communication, where it has been argued that semantic universals should exist, if anywhere. Here, using an experimental paradigm able to separate variation within a language from variation between languages, we tested the use of spatial demonstratives-the most fundamental and frequent spatial terms across languages. In n = 874 speakers across 29 languages, we show that speakers of all tested languages use spatial demonstratives as a function of being able to reach or act on an object being referred to. In some languages, the position of the addressee is also relevant in selecting between demonstrative forms. Commonalities and differences across languages in spatial communication can be understood in terms of universal constraints on action shaping spatial language and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Harmen B Gudde
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
- Helmholtz Institute, Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg, Delmenhorst, Germany
| | - Holger Diessel
- Department of English, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany
| | | | - Pedro Guijarro-Fuentes
- Department of Spanish, Modern and Classic Philology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
| | - Mila Vulchanova
- Language Acquisition and Language Processing Lab, Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Valentin Vulchanov
- Language Acquisition and Language Processing Lab, Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Emanuela Todisco
- Department of Spanish, Modern and Classic Philology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
- Department of Spanish Language, Linguistics and Literature Theory, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Maria Reile
- Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Merlijn Breunesse
- Centre for the Arts in Society, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Helen Plado
- Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Võro Institute, Võru, Estonia
| | | | - Raed Bsili
- Danieli Telerobot Srl, Genoa, Italy
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy
| | - Michela Caldano
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Rositsa Dekova
- Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | | | - Diana Forker
- Department of Slavonic Languages and Caucasus Studies, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Yesol Park
- Cognitive Science, Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lekhnath Sharma Pathak
- Cognitive Science and Psycholinguistics Lab, Central Department of Linguistics, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Centre for Neural and Cognitive Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
| | - David Peeters
- Department of Communication and Cognition, TiCC, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Baris Serhan
- Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Linda Apse
- Laboratory for Perceptual and Cognitive Systems, Faculty of Computing, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
| | - Florian Hesse
- Department of German, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Linh Hoang
- Department of English, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Phuong Hoang
- Department of English, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Yoko Igari
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Keerthana Kapiley
- Centre for Neural and Cognitive Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
| | - Tamar Haupt-Khutsishvili
- Department of Slavonic Languages and Caucasus Studies, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Sara Kolding
- School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Katri Priiki
- School of Languages and Translation Studies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Ieva Mačiukaitytė
- Institute for the Languages and Cultures of the Baltic, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vaisnavi Mohite
- Centre for Neural and Cognitive Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
| | - Tiina Nahkola
- Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Sum Yi Tsoi
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Stefan Williams
- Language Acquisition and Language Processing Lab, Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Shunei Yasuda
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Angelo Cangelosi
- Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jon Andoni Duñabeitia
- Centro de Investigación Nebrija en Cognición, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Languages and Culture, Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ramesh Kumar Mishra
- Centre for Neural and Cognitive Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
| | - Roberta Rocca
- Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Humanities Computing, Department of Culture, Cognition and Computation, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jurģis Šķilters
- Laboratory for Perceptual and Cognitive Systems, Faculty of Computing, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
| | - Mikkel Wallentin
- School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Ozlem Durmaz Incel
- Department of Computer Engineering, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey
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Abstract
Language allows us to efficiently communicate about the things in the world around us. Seemingly simple words like this and that are a cornerstone of our capability to refer, as they contribute to guiding the attention of our addressee to the specific entity we are talking about. Such demonstratives are acquired early in life, ubiquitous in everyday talk, often closely tied to our gestural communicative abilities, and present in all spoken languages of the world. Based on a review of recent experimental work, here we introduce a new conceptual framework of demonstrative reference. In the context of this framework, we argue that several physical, psychological, and referent-intrinsic factors dynamically interact to influence whether a speaker will use one demonstrative form (e.g., this) or another (e.g., that) in a given setting. However, the relative influence of these factors themselves is argued to be a function of the cultural language setting at hand, the theory-of-mind capacities of the speaker, and the affordances of the specific context in which the speech event takes place. It is demonstrated that the framework has the potential to reconcile findings in the literature that previously seemed irreconcilable. We show that the framework may to a large extent generalize to instances of endophoric reference (e.g., anaphora) and speculate that it may also describe the specific form and kinematics a speaker's pointing gesture takes. Testable predictions and novel research questions derived from the framework are presented and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Peeters
- Department of Communication and Cognition, TiCC, Tilburg University, P.O. Box 90153, NL-5000 LE, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
| | - Emiel Krahmer
- Department of Communication and Cognition, TiCC, Tilburg University, P.O. Box 90153, NL-5000 LE, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Alfons Maes
- Department of Communication and Cognition, TiCC, Tilburg University, P.O. Box 90153, NL-5000 LE, Tilburg, The Netherlands
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Vulchanova M, Guijarro-Fuentes P, Collier J, Vulchanov V. Shrinking Your Deictic System: How Far Can You Go? Front Psychol 2020; 11:575497. [PMID: 33343451 PMCID: PMC7738459 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Languages around the world differ in terms of the number of adnominal and pronominal demonstratives they require, as well as the factors that impact on their felicitous use. Given this cross-linguistic variation in deictic demonstrative terms, and the features that determine their felicitous use, an open question is how this is accommodated within bilingual cognition and language. In particular, we were interested in the extent to which bilingual language exposure and practice might alter the way in which a bilingual is using deictic demonstratives in their first language. Recent research on language attrition suggests that L2 learning selectively affects aspects of the native language, with some domains of language competence being more vulnerable than others. If demonstratives are basic, and acquired relatively early, they should be less susceptible to change and attrition. This was the hypothesis we went on to test in the current study. We tested two groups of native Spanish speakers, a control group living in Spain and an experimental group living in Norway using the (Spatial) Memory game paradigm. Contra to our expectations, the results indicate a significant difference between the two groups in use of deictic terms, indicative of a change in the preferred number of terms used. This suggests that deictic referential systems may change over time under pressure from bilingual language exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mila Vulchanova
- Language Acquisition and Language Processing Lab, Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Pedro Guijarro-Fuentes
- Departamento de Filología Española, Moderna y Clásica, Universidad de Islas Baleares, Palma, Spain
| | - Jacqueline Collier
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Valentin Vulchanov
- Language Acquisition and Language Processing Lab, Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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Reile M, Averin K, Põldver N. Interpreting Estonian Demonstratives: The Effects of Referent's Distance and Visual Salience. Front Psychol 2020; 11:553226. [PMID: 33329184 PMCID: PMC7714749 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.553226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Most of the research done with spatial demonstratives (words such as this, here and that, there) have focused on the production, not the interpretation, of these words. In addition, emphasis has been largely on demonstrative pronouns, leaving demonstrative adverbs with relatively little research attention. The present study explores the interpretation of both demonstrative pronouns and demonstrative adverbs in Estonian—a Finno-Ugric language with two dialectal-specific demonstrative pronoun systems. In the South-Estonian (SE) dialectal region, two demonstrative pronouns, see—“this” and too—“that”, are used. In the North-Estonian (NE) region, only one, see—“this/that”, is used. The aim of this study is twofold. First, we test if the distance and the visual salience of a referent have an effect on the interpretation of demonstratives. Second, we explore if there is a difference in the interpretation of demonstratives between native speakers from SE and NE. We used an interpretation experiment with 30 participants per group (total n = 60) and compared the SE and NE group responses. The results clearly show that the distance of the referent has an effect on how demonstratives are interpreted across the two groups, while the effect of visual salience is inconclusive. There is also a difference in the interpretation of demonstratives between the two dialectal groups. When using the Estonian with an influence of the SE dialect, the NE speakers rely on demonstrative adverbs in interpreting the referential utterance that includes demonstrative pronoun and adverb combinations, whereas the SE speakers also take into account the semantics of demonstrative pronouns. We show that, in addition to an already known difference in the production, there is also a difference in the interpretation of demonstratives between the two groups. In addition, our findings support the recognition that languages that have distance neutral demonstrative pronouns enforce the spatial meaning of a referring utterance by adding demonstrative adverbs. Not only is the interpretation of demonstrative pronouns affected, but the interpretation of demonstrative adverbs as well. The latter shows the importance of studying adverbs also, not just pronouns, and contributes to further knowledge of how demonstratives function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Reile
- Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kristiina Averin
- Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.,Doctoral School of Behavioural, Social and Health Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Nele Põldver
- Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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Rocca R, Wallentin M. Demonstrative Reference and Semantic Space: A Large-Scale Demonstrative Choice Task Study. Front Psychol 2020; 11:629. [PMID: 32318007 PMCID: PMC7154112 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial demonstratives (words like this and that) have been thought to primarily be used for carving up space into a peripersonal and extrapersonal domain. However, when given a noun out of context and asked to couple it with a demonstrative, speakers tend to choose this for words denoting manipulable objects (small, harmless, and inanimate), while non-manipulable objects (large, harmful, and animate) are more likely to be coupled with that. Here, we extend these findings using the Demonstrative Choice Task (DCT) procedure and map demonstrative use along a wide spectrum of semantic features. We conducted a large-scale (N = 2197) DCT experiment eliciting demonstratives for 506 words, rated across 65 + 11 perceptually and cognitively relevant semantic dimensions. We replicated the finding that demonstrative choice is influenced by object manipulability. Demonstrative choice was furthermore found to be related to a set of additional semantic factors, including valence, arousal, loudness, motion, time and more generally, the self. Importantly, demonstrative choices were highly structured across participants, as shown by a strong correlation detected in a split-sample comparison of by-word demonstrative choices. We argue that the DCT may be used to map a generalized semantic space anchored in the self of the speaker, the self being an extension of the body beyond physical space into a multidimensional semantic space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Rocca
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Psychoinformatics Lab, Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Mikkel Wallentin
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
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