LINGUIST List 14.1281

Tue May 6 2003

Diss: Cognitive Science: Imai "Spatial Deixis"

Editor for this issue: Steve Moran <stevelinguistlist.org>

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  • shingoimai, Spatial Deixis

    Message 1: Spatial Deixis

     Date: Sun, 04 May 2003 21:57:14 +0000
    From: shingoimai <shingoimaihotmail.com>
    Subject: Spatial Deixis


    Institution: State University of New York at Buffalo Program: Department of Linguistics Dissertation Status: Completed Degree Date: 2003

    Author: Shingo Imai Dissertation Title: Spatial Deixis

    Linguistic Field: Cognitive Science

    Dissertation Director 1: Leonard Talmy Dissertation Director 2: David A. Zubin Dissertation Director 3: Charles O. Frake

    Dissertation Abstract:

    This dissertation investigates the semantics of spatial deixis from a cross-linguistic point of view. Other researchers collected some parameters in their typological studies of demonstratives. I have expanded the language samples to more than 400 languages and added additional parameters that have not been pointed out in previous studies. The list provides an over view of parameters of deixis. The goals of this study are i) to reveal parameters determining spatial deictic usage in languages, ii) to compare parameters among languages, and iii) to investigate parameter dominance. Various table-top tasks were designed in order to collect data and were applied to 15 languages.

    Major findings are as follows:

    An anchor is the reference basis of deictics. The addressee anchor is an important factor next to the indispensable speaker anchor. There exist two different types in addressee-anchor systems. They are the dual-anchor system and the addressee-isolated system. Terms in the former indicate distance from the speaker as well as proximity to the addressee, while terms in the latter indicate proximity to the addressee.

    The [Invisibility] parameter is sub-categorized into [invisible-remote], distance-sensitive [invisible-occlusion], distance-neutral [invisible-occlusion], and [invisible-peripheral sense].

    [Motion] parameter is categorized into three types. The first type encodes [motion] as well as a direction from the perspective of the speaker. The second type denotes [motion] as well as distance from the speaker. The last type denotes [motion] without referring to a direction or distance. Malagasy's [motion] parameter covers translocation, rotation, and oscillation. It also includes fictive motions.

    [Presentative] is divided into [directive], whose function is to draw the attention of the addressee to a referent/region, and [offerative], whose function is to hand over an object to the addressee. Contrary to traditional descriptions of deictics based on relative distance, the data indicate that the primary and universal parameter is the speaker's [contact/control]. The speaker primarily demarcates space by judging whether or not a referent/region is within his/her territory or not. Whether the speaker can contact/control a referent/region is the most influential factor in deciding the speaker's conceptual territory in all languages.