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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(1987) Thinking for speaking. Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society (pp. 435–445). Berkeley University of California.
Slobin, D. I.
(1996) Two ways to travel: Verbs of motion in English and Spanish. In M. Shibatani, & S. A. Thomspon (Eds.), Grammatical constructions: Their form and meaning (pp. 195–219). Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press.
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Verkerk, A.
(2014) The evolutionary dynamics of motion event encoding. Enschede: Ipskamp Drukkers. [URL]
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