11. Verbal and gestural expression of motion in French and Czech
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Kateřina Fibigerová
Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to contribute to the general discussion about conceptualisation of motion events in different languages and cultures (see also Engemann et al., HCP 36; Lewandowski, HCP 36; Filipović and Geva, this volume). This study examines how language specificities influence the way in which French and Czech native speakers talk, gesture, and think about the category of motion events. Its theoretical framework combines (1) Talmy’s verb-framed/satellite-framed language typology, (2) Whorf’s hypothesis of linguistic relativity, and (3) McNeill’s conception of gesture and speech. Analysis of verbal and gestural descriptions of motion reveals that, while there are considerable verbal differences, French and Czech gestures are far more similar than expected. These findings are discussed in terms of the role of gesture in the expression of speakers’ intentions.
Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to contribute to the general discussion about conceptualisation of motion events in different languages and cultures (see also Engemann et al., HCP 36; Lewandowski, HCP 36; Filipović and Geva, this volume). This study examines how language specificities influence the way in which French and Czech native speakers talk, gesture, and think about the category of motion events. Its theoretical framework combines (1) Talmy’s verb-framed/satellite-framed language typology, (2) Whorf’s hypothesis of linguistic relativity, and (3) McNeill’s conception of gesture and speech. Analysis of verbal and gestural descriptions of motion reveals that, while there are considerable verbal differences, French and Czech gestures are far more similar than expected. These findings are discussed in terms of the role of gesture in the expression of speakers’ intentions.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Editors and contributors vii
- Foreword: Space and time in languages, cultures, and cognition xi
- Introduction: Linguistic, cultural, and cognitive approaches to space and time 1
-
Part I. Linguistic and conceptual representation of events
- 1. Event-based time intervals in an Amazonian culture 15
- 2. Vagueness in event times 37
- 3. Aspectual coercions in content composition 55
- 4. Back to the future 83
-
Part II. Cultural perspectives on space and time
- 5. The “Russian” attitude to time 103
- 6. Two temporalities of the Mongolian wolf hunter 121
- 7. Koromu temporal expressions 143
- 8. Universals and specifics of ‘time’ in Russian 167
-
Part III. Conceptualizing spatio-temporal relations
- 9. Linguistic manifestations of the space-time (dis)analogy 191
- 10. Vectors and frames of reference 217
- 11. Verbal and gestural expression of motion in French and Czech 251
- 12. Language-specific effects on lexicalisation and memory of motion events 269
- 13. Space and time in episodic memory 283
- 14. Conceptualizing the present through construal aspects 305
- 15. From perception of spatial artefacts to metaphorical meaning 329
- Contents of the companion volume 351
- Name index 355
- Subject index 359
- Language index 363
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Editors and contributors vii
- Foreword: Space and time in languages, cultures, and cognition xi
- Introduction: Linguistic, cultural, and cognitive approaches to space and time 1
-
Part I. Linguistic and conceptual representation of events
- 1. Event-based time intervals in an Amazonian culture 15
- 2. Vagueness in event times 37
- 3. Aspectual coercions in content composition 55
- 4. Back to the future 83
-
Part II. Cultural perspectives on space and time
- 5. The “Russian” attitude to time 103
- 6. Two temporalities of the Mongolian wolf hunter 121
- 7. Koromu temporal expressions 143
- 8. Universals and specifics of ‘time’ in Russian 167
-
Part III. Conceptualizing spatio-temporal relations
- 9. Linguistic manifestations of the space-time (dis)analogy 191
- 10. Vectors and frames of reference 217
- 11. Verbal and gestural expression of motion in French and Czech 251
- 12. Language-specific effects on lexicalisation and memory of motion events 269
- 13. Space and time in episodic memory 283
- 14. Conceptualizing the present through construal aspects 305
- 15. From perception of spatial artefacts to metaphorical meaning 329
- Contents of the companion volume 351
- Name index 355
- Subject index 359
- Language index 363
