Infants’ encoding of social interaction as a conceptual foundation for the acquisition of argument structure
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Claudia Thoermer
Abstract
Patterns of linguistic encoding influence infant event representations, and fundamental prelinguistic semantic categories are reflected in linguistic structures. We report a study investigating 10-month-old infants’ encoding of action roles in a ditransitive give-and-take event by using a combination of looking time and eyetracking techniques. Results indicate that distinctive encoding strategies of a role reversal in a give-and-take event are associated with looking-time patterns: infants whose looking times indicate an understanding of the role reversal between agent and recipient track actions on an agent-specific basis, rather than on spatial parameters of the scene. Findings are discussed with regard to how our understanding of interaction between non-linguistic and linguistic representations can benefit from close interdisciplinary cooperation between linguists and developmental psychologists. Keywords: action roles; intentional relations; prelinguistic concepts
Abstract
Patterns of linguistic encoding influence infant event representations, and fundamental prelinguistic semantic categories are reflected in linguistic structures. We report a study investigating 10-month-old infants’ encoding of action roles in a ditransitive give-and-take event by using a combination of looking time and eyetracking techniques. Results indicate that distinctive encoding strategies of a role reversal in a give-and-take event are associated with looking-time patterns: infants whose looking times indicate an understanding of the role reversal between agent and recipient track actions on an agent-specific basis, rather than on spatial parameters of the scene. Findings are discussed with regard to how our understanding of interaction between non-linguistic and linguistic representations can benefit from close interdisciplinary cooperation between linguists and developmental psychologists. Keywords: action roles; intentional relations; prelinguistic concepts
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- List of contributors ix
- Preface xi
- Practical theories and empirical practice – facets of a complex interaction 1
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Part I. Empirical practice
- The embodiment of linguistic meaning 35
- Infants’ encoding of social interaction as a conceptual foundation for the acquisition of argument structure 55
- Referring to colour and taste in Kilivila 71
- Yucatec demonstratives in interaction 99
- Many languages, one knowledge base 129
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Part II. Practical theories
- Nen assentives and the phenomenon of dialogic parallelisms 159
- Evidentiality, modality, focus and other puzzles 185
- Does Searle’s challenge affect chances for approximating assertion and quotative modal wollen ? 245
- The pragmatics of argumentation 257
- Implicature of complex sentences in error models 273
- The semantics of functional spaces 307
- Language index 325
- Name index 327
- Subject index 333
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- List of contributors ix
- Preface xi
- Practical theories and empirical practice – facets of a complex interaction 1
-
Part I. Empirical practice
- The embodiment of linguistic meaning 35
- Infants’ encoding of social interaction as a conceptual foundation for the acquisition of argument structure 55
- Referring to colour and taste in Kilivila 71
- Yucatec demonstratives in interaction 99
- Many languages, one knowledge base 129
-
Part II. Practical theories
- Nen assentives and the phenomenon of dialogic parallelisms 159
- Evidentiality, modality, focus and other puzzles 185
- Does Searle’s challenge affect chances for approximating assertion and quotative modal wollen ? 245
- The pragmatics of argumentation 257
- Implicature of complex sentences in error models 273
- The semantics of functional spaces 307
- Language index 325
- Name index 327
- Subject index 333
