Language Influence on Object-Substance Construal

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In this proposal, we examine a purported case of linguistic relativity. Specifically, could the crosslinguistic differences in the marking of count-mass status affect speakers' individuation criteria? Lucy (1992) argued that nouns of languages unmarked in count-mass status (e.g., Yucatec, Japanese) are unspecified in quantificational unit, and hence typically refer to the substance or material composition of an object. In contrast, the count nouns in languages like English are specified in unit, thus they typically refer to the form or shape of an object. Because of this difference, Lucy argued that Yucatec speakers will focus on the substance, while English speakers will focus on the form/object. His prediction is backed by experimental data. Others have argued that there are alternative interpretations of the data. We therefore propose three experiments to assess whether the linguistic relativity claim is correct. Experiment 1 checks whether the crosslinguistic effects are strongly replicable even when previous methodological concerns are addressed. Experiment 2 asks whether Lucy's analysis of the nouns is correct. Experiment 3 asks how language-specific patterns interact with cognitive universals. We hope that understanding the nature of the linguistic influence could also contribute to the recent debate on whether the acquisition of grammatical categories serves as the source of conceptual reorganization.