Grammars of Space: Explorations in Cognitive Diversity

✍ Scribed by Stephen C. Levinson, David P. Wilkins

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 641
• Series: Language, Culture and Cognition
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Spatial language - that is, the way languages structure the spatial domain - is an important area of research, offering insights into one of the most central areas of human cognition. In this collection, a team of leading scholars review the spatial domain across a wide variety of languages. Contrary to existing assumptions, they show that there is great variation in the way space is conceptually structured across languages, thus substantiating the controversial question of how far the foundations of human cognition are innate. Grammars of Space is a supplement to the psychological information provided in its companion volume, Space in Language and Cognition. It represents a new kind of work in linguistics, ’Semantic Typology’, which asks what are the semantic parameters used to structure particular semantic fields. Comprehensive and informative, it will be essential reading for those working on comparative linguistics, spatial cognition, and the interface between them.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 4
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Figures......Page 11
Tables......Page 13
Contributors......Page 16
Preface......Page 17
1.1 Spatial language and cognition......Page 21
1.2 Nature of this book......Page 22
1.3 The language sample......Page 26
1.4 Controlled comparison: the stimuli......Page 28
1.4.1 Topology Series ‘Picture-Book’......Page 29
1.4.2 The Men and Tree Space Game......Page 31
1.4.3 The Frog Story......Page 33
1.4.4 Other elicitation tools......Page 34
1.5.1 Topology......Page 35
1.5.2 Motion......Page 37
1.5.3 Frames of reference......Page 39
1.6 Conclusion......Page 42
2.1 The language and its speakers......Page 44
2.2 Brief overview of the main features of Arrernte grammar......Page 45
2.3 Topological relations......Page 49
2.4 Motion......Page 59
2.5 Frames of reference......Page 72
2.6 Conclusion......Page 80
3.2 The language and its speakers......Page 83
3.3 Grammatical and lexical resources for spatial description......Page 84
3.3.1 Nominals......Page 85
3.3.1.1 Locational nominals......Page 86
3.3.1.2 Demonstratives......Page 88
3.3.3 Verbs......Page 90
3.4.1 Subtypes of the basic locative construction......Page 92
3.4.2 Coverbs of spatial configuration......Page 99
3.5.1 Verbs used to describe motion events......Page 103
3.5.1.1 Locomotion verbs......Page 104
3.5.1.2 Verbs of change of locative relation and ballistic motion......Page 108
3.5.2.1 Coverbs of manner of motion......Page 111
3.5.2.4 Coverbs of emerging......Page 114
3.5.2.5 Coverbs of ballistic motion......Page 115
3.5.3.1 The ‘fall from the cliff scene’......Page 117
3.5.3.2 Semantic distinctions relevant for the choice of a motion expression......Page 119
3.5.3.3 Jaminjung and the verb-framed/satellite-framed dichotomy......Page 121
3.6 Frames of reference......Page 123
3.6.1 The absolute frame of reference based on water flow......Page 124
3.6.2.1 Location with respect to a featured ground......Page 127
3.6.2.2 Orientation of a featured figure......Page 129
3.6.2.3 Complex figures......Page 131
3.7 Summary......Page 132
4.1 The Warrwa language and its speakers......Page 135
4.2.1 Basic typological features......Page 137
4.2.2 Fundamentals of spatial reference......Page 141
4.3.1 Basic locative construction......Page 143
4.3.2 Use of the locative postposition......Page 144
4.3.3 Spatial adverbials......Page 146
4.3.4 Spatial parts of entities and spatial regions......Page 150
4.3.5 Other locative constructions......Page 153
4.4 Motion......Page 155
4.4.1 Simple motion verbs......Page 156
4.4.2 Complex motion verbs......Page 158
4.4.3 Use of motion expressions in Warrwa......Page 162
4.4.4 Concluding observations......Page 166
4.5 Frames of reference......Page 168
4.6 Conclusion......Page 174
5.1 The language and culture of Rossel Island......Page 177
Phonology......Page 178
Morphology and syntax......Page 179
5.3.1 Introduction......Page 184
5.3.2 The system of topological postpositions......Page 186
5.3.3 The positional verbs......Page 193
5.4 Frames of reference......Page 203
5.5 Deixis......Page 211
5.6 Motion description......Page 212
5.6.1 Deixis and motion verbs: no ‘Come’ and ‘Go’......Page 213
5.6.2 ‘Associated motion’......Page 217
5.6.3 Spatial distinctions in motion verbs......Page 219
5.6.4 Overall observations on motion description......Page 222
5.7 Conclusions......Page 224
6.1 Introduction......Page 226
6.2 Kilivila – the language of the Trobriand Islanders......Page 227
6.3 Topological relations......Page 229
6.4 Motion......Page 237
6.5 Frames of reference......Page 242
6.6 Summary and concluding remarks......Page 248
7.1.1 Space in Mayan languages......Page 250
7.2.1 Basic grammar......Page 253
7.2.2 Spatial language......Page 256
7.2.2.1 Location and existence......Page 257
7.2.2.2 Deictics and locative descriptions......Page 258
7.3 Static location......Page 260
7.3.1 Body parts and relational nouns......Page 261
7.3.2 Dispositionals......Page 266
7.4.1 Motion verbs, directionals and auxiliaries......Page 271
7.5.1 The ‘uphill’/‘downhill’ absolute system......Page 283
7.5.2 Absence of a relative (front/back/left/right) system......Page 290
7.6 Conclusion......Page 291
8.1 Introduction......Page 293
8.2 The language and its speakers......Page 294
8.3.2 Predicates......Page 296
8.3.3 Clause-level dependants......Page 303
8.4 Topological relations......Page 309
8.5.1 Overview......Page 313
8.5.2 Morphosyntactic properties of motion verbs......Page 315
8.5.3 Ground-denoting phrases......Page 317
8.5.4 The semantics of motion verbs......Page 319
8.6.1 The intrinsic frame of reference......Page 322
8.6.2 The absolute frame of reference......Page 323
8.6.3 The relative frame of reference......Page 326
8.6.4 Distribution of frames of reference over individuals and groups......Page 327
8.7 Concluding remarks......Page 329
9.1 Introduction: Tiriyó and its speakers......Page 331
9.2 A brief overview of Tiriyó grammar......Page 332
9.3 Topology......Page 335
9.3.1 Formal groups......Page 337
9.3.2 Semantic groups: The ‘Topological Relations Picture Series’ (TRPS)......Page 341
9.4 Motion......Page 359
9.4.1 Motion verbs......Page 363
9.4.2 Other verbal constructions involving motion......Page 364
9.4.3 Directional postpositions......Page 366
9.4.4 Ablative and perlative postpositions......Page 368
9.5 Frames of reference......Page 370
9.6 Conclusion......Page 378
10.1 The language and its relevance for spatial language research......Page 379
10.2.1 Linguistic-type features......Page 380
10.2.2 The syntax of the nominal phrase......Page 382
10.2.3 Ewe verbal syntax......Page 384
10.2.4 Prepositions......Page 387
10.2.5 Postpositions......Page 388
10.3.1 ‘Where’-questions and the ‘basic locative comstruction’......Page 390
10.3.2 The locative verb suppletive set......Page 392
10.3.3 Modulations of the BLC......Page 393
10.3.4 Non-basic locative constructions......Page 395
10.3.5 Summary of topological relations......Page 400
10.4 Frames of reference......Page 402
10.5.1 The expression of motion......Page 407
10.5.1.1 Motion interpretation from non-motion expressions......Page 408
10.5.1.2 Motion verbs......Page 409
10.5.2 Motion event packaging......Page 412
10.6 Conclusion......Page 418
11.1 Tamil and Tamils......Page 420
11.2.1 Typical SOV, agglutinative......Page 421
11.2.2.1 Traditional analysis: the eight Sanskrit cases......Page 422
11.3.1.1 -il (LT); -le (ST)......Page 424
11.3.1.2 -iTam (.LT); -kiTTe (ST)......Page 426
11.3.2 Locative/relational nouns......Page 427
11.3.2.1 Meel(ee)......Page 428
11.3.2.2 Contrast with simple locative......Page 430
11.3.2.3 uuL(ee)......Page 431
11.3.2.4 Other locative nouns......Page 432
11.3.3 Verbally described location......Page 433
11.4.1 Manner verbs......Page 435
11.4.2 Auxiliary verbs go/come/be/leave......Page 436
11.4.2.1 Go......Page 437
11.4.2.2 Come......Page 439
11.4.2.3 Be......Page 440
11.4.2.4 Ablative......Page 441
11.4.3 Complex motion/decomposition......Page 442
11.5.1 Deixis in Tamil......Page 445
11.5.2 Same form, different frames of reference......Page 447
11.5.3 Distribution of frames of reference among South Indian Tamil speakers......Page 449
11.5.4 Intrinsic reference......Page 452
11.5.5 Relative and absolute frame of reference......Page 453
11.6 Conclusions......Page 454
12.2 Very brief grammatical overview of the language......Page 457
12.3.1.1 Verbs in the basic locative construction......Page 458
12.3.1.2 Place NP......Page 459
12.3.1.3 The application range of the basic locative construction......Page 460
12.3.1.4 Other constructions for answering a Where-question......Page 461
12.3.2.1 Spatial nominals expressing topological relations......Page 466
12.3.2.3 Intrinsic relations and relative relations......Page 467
12.3.2.4 Other classes of spatial nominals......Page 468
12.4 Motion......Page 469
12.4.1.1 Case frames and verb types......Page 472
12.4.1.2 Postpositions and their functions in motion expression......Page 476
12.4.2.1 Deictic auxiliary verb constructions......Page 482
12.4.2.2 Bi-clausal expressions of VIA-notions......Page 485
12.4.2.3 Two-verb expressions of manner and path......Page 486
12.4.3 ‘Enter’/‘Exit’ as ‘discrete change of state’......Page 487
12.4.4 Summary of motion expression in Japanese......Page 489
12.5.1 Tabletop space......Page 490
12.5.2 Larger-scale space......Page 492
12.6 Conclusions......Page 493
13.2 Dutch: the language and its speakers......Page 495
13.3 Grammatical background to spatial descriptions in Dutch......Page 497
13.4 Topological relations......Page 505
13.4.1.1 Contact......Page 507
13.4.2 Positional verbs......Page 513
13.5 Motion descriptions......Page 520
13.5.2 Translocation prepositions and adverbs......Page 522
13.5.3 Auxiliaries hebben and zijn......Page 523
13.5.4 Separable verbs......Page 524
13.6 Conclusion......Page 526
13.6.1 Frames of reference......Page 527
13.7 Discussion......Page 530
14.1 Universals and particulars: variation and its limits in semantic typology......Page 532
14.2.1 The BLC and a topological similarity space......Page 534
14.2.2 The similarity space and contrasts within the BLC constructional alternates and adpositions......Page 539
14.2.3 The cup-on-table scene: adpositional con.ations in the similarity space......Page 540
14.2.4 The cup-on-table scene: con.ations and distinctions by locative predicates within the similarity space......Page 543
14.3 Motion......Page 547
The Frog Story in cross-linguistic perspective......Page 557
14.4 Frames of reference......Page 561
14.5 Conclusions......Page 570
Appendix 1: Topolocial ‘maps’ for each language in the sample......Page 573
Appendix 2: Motion across the languages......Page 583
Appendix 3: Frames of reference in the sample: summary of information on full, partial and trace frames of reference......Page 587
Appendix 4: ‘Topological Relations Picture Series’......Page 590
References......Page 596
Author index......Page 620
Language/Language family index......Page 624
Subject index......Page 627

✦ Subjects

Языки и языкознание;Лингвистика;Когнитивная лингвистика и лингвоконцептология;