Event categorisation and language: A cross-linguistic study of motion

Abstract

It is well known that languages differ in how they encode motion. Languages such as English use verbs that communicate the manner of motion (e.g., slide, skip), while languages such as Greek regularly encode motion paths in verbs (e.g., enter, ascend). Here we ask how such cross-linguistic encoding patterns interface with event cognition by comparing labelling and categorisation preferences for motion events by English- and Greek-speaking adults and 5-year-olds. Our studies show that, despite cross-linguistic encoding differences, the categorisation of dynamically unfolding motion events proceeds in identical ways in members of these two linguistic communities. Nevertheless, language-congruent categorisation preferences emerge in tasks that implicitly encourage the use of linguistic stimuli during event apprehension. These data have implications for the relationship between language and event categorisation.