Publications

Publication details [#56084]

Bach, Patric. 2012. The embodiment of linguistic meaning. Key findings from psychology and neuroscience. In Schalley, Andrea C., ed. Practical Theories and Empirical Practice. A linguistic perspective. (Human Cognitive Processing 40). John Benjamins. pp. 33–54.
Publication type
Article in book
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
John Benjamins

Annotation

Embodied views of language hold that linguistic meaning is derived from the interaction experience of the listener/speaker and the sensory, motor, and internal states that go along with it. This paper reviews three kinds of evidence that support such views. (1) Linguistic descriptions draw upon processes and brain regions that support the event’s actual sensory experience. (2) These perceptual event representations are treated by the cognitive apparatus just like real events, triggering the motor behaviours that would be elicited in such circumstances. (3) The representation of action content draws upon information encoded in the understander’s own action control systems. Outstanding questions, problems, and implications of such an embodied view of linguistic meaning are discussed.