Naslov
Understanding language specificity – causes and consequences

Autori
Brala, Marija

Izvornik
Psychology of Language and Communication (1234-2238) 6 (2002), 2; 33-46

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
crosslinguistic diversity; language universality; linguistic relativity

Sažetak
Departing from a crosslinguistic analysis of the 'on'-'in' range of prepositional spatial usages (Bowerman and Choi, 2001 ; Brala, 2000), in this paper we: a) try to pinpoint, i.e. describe and explain the central aspects of crosslinguistic variation in prepositional usage ; and b) propose the elements and principles identified as being at the core of crosslinguistic prepositional variation and also the main cause underlying crosslinguistic variation in general, i.e. as being among the key elements bringing about language specificity. This study revolves around two issues: 1) that of universal cognitive elements (part of the realm of language universality), understood as semantic atoms that can appear in words (semantic 'molecules') in different combinatorial patterns, and 2) the linguistic functions operating on the set of these universal elements. These linguistic functions are however seen as operating on a language specific principle, thus bringing about crosslinguistic variation. In the final part of the paper, the issues raised in it are related to Slobin's (1996) view of 'thinking for speaking' as a possible solution to the controversial problem of linguistic relativity.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filologija

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