Work

Conceptual and lexical effects on gestures: the case of vertical spatial metaphors for time in Chinese

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: The linguistic metaphors of time appear to influence how people gesture about time. This study finds that Chinese English bilinguals produce more vertical gestures when talking about Chinese time references with vertical spatial metaphors than (1) when talking about time conceptions in the English translations, and (2) when talking about Chinese time references with no spatial metaphors. Additionally, Chinese English bilinguals prefer vertical gestures to lateral gestures when perceiving Chinese time references with vertical spatial metaphors and the corresponding English translations, whereas there is no such preference when perceiving time references without spatial metaphors. Furthermore, this vertical tendency is not due to the fact that vertical gestures are generally less ambiguous than lateral gestures for addressees. In conclusion, the vertical gesturing about time by Chinese English bilinguals is shaped by both the stable language-specific conceptualisations, and the online changes in linguistic choices.

Source: Language Cognition and Neuroscience

DOI: 10.1080/23273798.2017.1283425

Authors: Yan Gu, Lisette Mol, Marieke Hoetjes, Marc Swerts

Institutions: Tilburg University, Radboud University Nijmegen, Center for Language Studies

Language: English

Topic: Language, Metaphor, and Cognition

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education

Award: G8586936556