SPATIAL CATEGORIZATION OF WORDS IN L1 AND L2

Abstract

If the connection of the native language with motor experience has been shown in numerous studies, then the question of whether a foreign language is embodied remains unresolved. The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between the semantics of verbs and human motor experience when using native and foreign languages. One hundred twenty-four native Russian speakers (36 men, 88 women) aged 18 to 47 (M = 21, SD = 4,7) took part in the study. The task was to evaluate the verbs presented in the center of the screen as causing the desire to approach or withdraw. When using a native language and when using a foreign language, the categorization process proceeds in different ways, depending on whether the meaning of a word is consistent with movement in space or not. Despite the fact that a smaller quantity of significant effects was observed when using a foreign language, it is not possible to say that a foreign language is disembodied.

Keywords

• воплощенное познание
• глаголы
• категоризация
• родной язык
• иностранный язык
• embodied cognition
• verbs
• categorization
• l1
• l2