More refined typology and design in linguistic relativity: The case of motion event encoding

Journal article
John Benjamins website: https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/dujal.15019.ber

Abstract

Linguistic relativity is the influence of language on other realms of cognition. For instance, the way movement is expressed in a person’s native language may influence how they perceive movement. Motion event encoding (MEE) is usually framed as a typological dichotomy. Path-in-verb languages tend to encode path information within the verb (e.g., ‘leave’), whereas manner-in-verb languages encode manner (e.g., ‘jump’). The results of MEE-based linguistic relativity experiments range from no effect to effects on verbal and nonverbal cognition. Seeking a more definitive conclusion, we propose linguistic and experimental enhancements. First, we examine state-of-the-art typology, suggesting how a recent MEE classification across twenty languages (Verkerk, 2014) may enable more powerful analyses. Second, we review procedural challenges such as the influence of verbal thought and second-guessing in experiments. To tackle these challenges, we propose distinguishing verbal and nonverbal subgroups, and having enough filler items. Finally we exemplify this in an experimental design.

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Study at a glance

graph TD A["Linguistic relativity:
language influences cognition"] --> B["Motion event encoding
(MEE) typology"] B --> C["Path-in-verb languages
(e.g., leave)"] B --> D["Manner-in-verb languages
(e.g., jump)"] A --> E["Mixed prior results: no effect
to verbal and nonverbal effects"] E --> F["Proposed enhancements"] F --> G["Refined typology across twenty
languages (Verkerk, 2014)"] F --> H["Distinguish verbal and nonverbal
subgroups, add filler items"] G --> I["Improved experimental design"] H --> I

Reference

Bernabeu, P., & Tillman, R. (2019). More refined typology and design in linguistic relativity: The case of motion event encoding. Dutch Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(2), 163-171. http://doi.org/10.1075/dujal.15019.ber

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