7. Language-specific perspectives in reference to time in the discourse of Czech, English, and Hungarian speakers
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Norbert Vanek
Abstract
This chapter investigates patterns exhibited in the way native speakers of Czech, English, and Hungarian organise temporal information for the expression of events in context. Cross-linguistic contrasts have been identified with respect to four discourse dimensions: levels of granularity, degrees of condensation, preferred topic time management techniques, as well as selected event perspectivation frames. Through the analyses of film retellings and written picture descriptions, comparable language-specific patterns surfaced across modalities and task types. Observed systematic differences in event construal support the idea of language-specificity in the processes of time perspectivation. It is claimed that perspectivation contrasts stem from differences in the linguistic means that are available for encoding temporality in particular languages, and emerge as a result of minimising ambiguity.
Abstract
This chapter investigates patterns exhibited in the way native speakers of Czech, English, and Hungarian organise temporal information for the expression of events in context. Cross-linguistic contrasts have been identified with respect to four discourse dimensions: levels of granularity, degrees of condensation, preferred topic time management techniques, as well as selected event perspectivation frames. Through the analyses of film retellings and written picture descriptions, comparable language-specific patterns surfaced across modalities and task types. Observed systematic differences in event construal support the idea of language-specificity in the processes of time perspectivation. It is claimed that perspectivation contrasts stem from differences in the linguistic means that are available for encoding temporality in particular languages, and emerge as a result of minimising ambiguity.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Editors and contributors ix
- Foreword: Space and time in languages, cultures, and cognition xiii
- Introduction: Linguistic diversity in the spatio-temporal domain 1
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I. Representing location in space and time
- 1. Spatial relations in Hinuq and Bezhta 15
- 2. Pragmatically disambiguating space 35
- 3. The semantics of the perfect progressive in English 53
- 4. Drowning “into” the river in North Sámi 73
- 5. Cross-linguistic differences in expressing time and universal principles of utterance interpretation 95
- 6. Modelling temporal reasoning 123
- 7. Language-specific perspectives in reference to time in the discourse of Czech, English, and Hungarian speakers 135
- 8. More than “time” 157
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II. Space and time in language acquisition
- 9. L2 acquisition of tense-aspect morphology 181
- 10. Motion events in Japanese and English 205
- 11. ‘He walked up the pole with arms and legs’ 233
- 12. Caused motion events across languages and learner types 263
- 13. Spatial prepositions in Italian L2 289
- 14. Expressing simultaneity using aspect 325
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III. Dynamic relations in space and time domains
- 15. Variation in motion events 349
- 16. Italian motion constructions 373
- 17. A temporal approach to motion verbs 395
- 18. The role of grammar in the conceptualisation of ‘progression’ 417
- 19. The locative PP motion construction in Polish 437
- 20. Path salience in motion descriptions in Jaminjung 459
- Contents of the companion volume: Language, culture, and cognition 481
- Name index 483
- Subject index 487
- Language index 491
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Editors and contributors ix
- Foreword: Space and time in languages, cultures, and cognition xiii
- Introduction: Linguistic diversity in the spatio-temporal domain 1
-
I. Representing location in space and time
- 1. Spatial relations in Hinuq and Bezhta 15
- 2. Pragmatically disambiguating space 35
- 3. The semantics of the perfect progressive in English 53
- 4. Drowning “into” the river in North Sámi 73
- 5. Cross-linguistic differences in expressing time and universal principles of utterance interpretation 95
- 6. Modelling temporal reasoning 123
- 7. Language-specific perspectives in reference to time in the discourse of Czech, English, and Hungarian speakers 135
- 8. More than “time” 157
-
II. Space and time in language acquisition
- 9. L2 acquisition of tense-aspect morphology 181
- 10. Motion events in Japanese and English 205
- 11. ‘He walked up the pole with arms and legs’ 233
- 12. Caused motion events across languages and learner types 263
- 13. Spatial prepositions in Italian L2 289
- 14. Expressing simultaneity using aspect 325
-
III. Dynamic relations in space and time domains
- 15. Variation in motion events 349
- 16. Italian motion constructions 373
- 17. A temporal approach to motion verbs 395
- 18. The role of grammar in the conceptualisation of ‘progression’ 417
- 19. The locative PP motion construction in Polish 437
- 20. Path salience in motion descriptions in Jaminjung 459
- Contents of the companion volume: Language, culture, and cognition 481
- Name index 483
- Subject index 487
- Language index 491
