Projects per year
Abstract
This paper investigates the extent to which the way individuals describe spatial relationships correlates with features of the local landscape. Drawing on empirical data from two unrelated languages, Dhivehi (Indo-Aryan) and Marshallese (Austronesian), across a range of topographic environments, we examine the linguistic resources available to speakers, and spatial referential strategy preferences across languages and environments. We find that spatial language shows sensitivity to features of the topography, but this is mediated by the way speakers interact with the landscape. This leads us to propose a Sociotopographic Model, modelling the complex interplay of language structure, local environment, cultural practices, and language use, at odds with competing claims about the primacy of language or of environment in shaping spatial cognition.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 457–491 |
Number of pages | 35 |
Journal | Linguistic Typology |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2017 |
Keywords
- spatial language
- landscape
- Cognition
- Language and thought
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Thinking and talking about atolls: the role of environment in shaping language and our understanding of physical space
Gaby, A. & Palmer, W.
Australian Research Council (ARC)
1/01/12 → 31/12/14
Project: Research
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Australian Linguistics Society (ALS) Conference 2017
Alice Gaby (Keynote/plenary speaker)
4 Dec 2017 → 7 Dec 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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International Cognitive Linguistics Conference 2017
Alice Gaby (Speaker), Jonathon Thomas Stephen Lum (Speaker), Jonathan Schlossberg (Speaker) & Bill Palmer (Speaker)
10 Jul 2017 → 14 Jul 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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First Language, Second Thoughts
Alice Gaby (Performer)
29 Nov 2017Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public outreach