Relations Between Language and Cognition: Evidentiality and Sources of Knowledge. (22nd June 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ünal, Ercenur; Papafragou, Anna
• Is Part Of: Topics in cognitive science. Volume 12:Number 1(2020)
• Page Start: 115
• Page End: 135
• Publication Date: 2018-06-22
• Subjects: Theory of Mind -- Language acquisition -- Evidentiality -- Source monitoring -- Language–cognition interface -- Concepts; Cognitive science -- Periodicals; Cognitive Science -- Periodicals; 153.05
• DOI: 10.1111/tops.12355
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1756-8757

Abstract

Abstract: Understanding and acquiring language involve mapping language onto conceptual representations. Nevertheless, several issues remain unresolved with respect to (a) how such mappings are performed, and (b) whether conceptual representations are susceptible to cross‐linguistic influences. In this article, we discuss these issues focusing on the domain of evidentiality and sources of knowledge. Empirical evidence in this domain yields growing support for the proposal that linguistic categories of evidentiality are tightly linked to, build on, and reflect conceptual representations of sources of knowledge that are shared across speakers of different languages. Abstract : Ünal and Papafragou examine what one might call learning "really hard" meanings, that is, evidentials, which linguistically mark the source of information associated with use of a given verb. They explore the relationship between children's mastery of the relevant nonlinguistic conceptual underpinnings and the linguistic marking of evidentials, and find that the two kinds of mastery show different developmental trajectories, with the relationship far from one‐to‐one. This case study points to the complex and nuanced relationships between language learning and nonlinguistic understanding in the same domain.