Restructuring the expression of motion events in L2: learners’ development from a crosslinguistic perspective
Simona Anastasio – LNPL (UR 4156), Université de Toulouse Jean Jaurès
Spatial representation and construction are a fundamental cognitive ability (Papafragou & Selimis 2010). Nevertheless, languages across world greatly vary in the way they talk about motion (Talmy 2000).
During second language acquisition (SLA) motion is an area of language which represents a fragile zone for learners, who grapple with the typological differences between the L1 and the L2 (Cadierno & Ruiz 2006; Slobin 1996). The current research aims to contribute to the L2 acquisition of motion events. Specifically, it explores the verbalisation of motion (Frog story, Mayer 1969) by L2 learners of French and Italian with two proficiency levels (intermediate vs. advanced; cf. Bartning & Schlyter 2004) and whose L1 is either typologically close (Italian or French) or distant (English) from the TL (see corpus DISCOSS). Performances of native speakers of the three languages are also considered here.
We examine expression patterns of motion, focusing on (a) the learner development in coding motion events (focus and locus of information), (b) the role of crosslinguistic influence (CLI) according to their L2 proficiency level and the typological properties of language pairs.
Results show common tendencies related to general acquisitional principles for intermediate learners. CLI is particularly evident at the advanced level when TL-SL have analogous formal structures (transfer to somewhere, Andersen 1983), despite the genetic proximity and the lexical transparency between languages. Various factors may explain the role of CLI in the wider SLA field against the backdrop of learner sensitivity to typological differences and similarities in the input and learner conceptualisation of motion.
Acquisition of French L3 by Tamil native speakers: the case of voluntary motion
Annie-Claude Demagny – SFL (UMR CNRS 7023) & Pascale Trévisiol – Laboratoire DILTEC, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle
Talmy (2000) proposes a linguistic typology based on the linguistic encoding of Space. He distinguishes Satellite-Framed Languages (SFL), like English, which tend to encode the direction of the motion (Path) in a verb satellite (particle) and manner of motion (M) in the root verb (e.g. run [M] across [P]) and verb-framed languages, (VFL) like French, which tend to express Path (P) in the root verb and Manner of motion (M) in extra-verbal elements (e.g. traverser [P] en courant [M]). Cross-linguistically, researchers have found a range of variations among languages of the same type, leading to the elaboration of a representation scale to propose a continuum for this typology (Hendriks & Hickmann 2015, among others).
Our project aims to evaluate the impact of English L2 on the multilingual speakers’ conceptualization and formulation of dynamic space in French L3 (as defined by Hammarberg (2010), « a language acquired after the acquisition of a second language »). In our study, French is the last language being acquired after L2 prior languages such as English, Hindi as L3.
Although Tamil is a VFL just like the TL, the acquisition of motion event in French may be influenced, if speakers’ representation of dynamic space is influenced by English, a SFL.
While Tamil speakers massively express Path through verbs, learners show flexibility in the use of different encodings, indicating that L1 conceptualizations facilitate L3 acquisition, but that L2 influences development at certain points in the acquisition process.
Conceptual transfer in the acquisition of motion events in a second language
Alberto Hijazo-Gascon – Universidad de Zaragoza
The acquisition of motion events in second languages (L2) has been widely studied in Applied Cognitive Linguistics (Cadierno 2017, Hijazo-Gascón 2021). According to Talmy’s (1991) semantic typology and Slobin’s (1996) thinking for speaking hypothesis, verb-framed languages, e.g. French, tend to encode the semantic component of Path (including the trajectory and direction of the movement) in the main verb of the event (Elle sort en courant). However, satellite-framed languages, e.g. English, encode Path in a so-called satellite, leaving space for a more frequent inclusion of Manner in the main verb (She runs out). The typological differences in motion events are of high relevance as a source of conceptual transfer (Jarvis and Pavlenko 2008) between the learner’s languages. Some aspects of motion seem particularly resistant to be adjusted in a second language, despite being very frequent in the L2 input and being taught at the earliest stages of L2 teaching. Even advanced students seem to struggle with the acquisition of specific aspects of motion in different languages. For example, deictic motion verbs (e.g. Spanish venir ‘come’ and traer ‘bring’) or caused motion events (e.g. Spanish meter ‘put in’, dejar ‘leave’ and poner ‘put’), showing frequent cases of conceptual transfer in these areas. Different approaches have been used to improve the acquisition of these semantic contrasts. An interesting proposal is the use of mediation activities, which entails meaning-focused activities and the development of plurilingual competence.
Semantic typology and audio description. A corpus-based study of motion verbs
Teresa Molés-Cases – Universitat Politècnica de València
Audio description for the blind and visually impaired is a mode of audiovisual translation which has received little critical analysis within the Thinking-for-speaking and the Thinking-for-translating hypotheses (Slobin 1987, 1996, 2000), two cognitive-based theories that essentially study how the structuring of thought in our mother tongue causes us to express and translate in particular ways. These hypotheses have been tested and developed mainly in narrative texts through the study of the lexicalization of motion events, a phenomenon which is key in the description of action and which is central in terms of embodied experience. This contribution aims to examine the lexicalization of motion events in a multilingual corpus composed of the English, German and Spanish audio-described versions of Wolfwalkers (Moore and Stewart, 2020), an Irish animated film available on Apple TV. Since the mentioned streaming platform presents a significant amount of audio-described content, the study aims first to determine whether the audio descriptions in the corpus result from an intersemiotic transfer (Jakobson 1959, Gottlieb 2005, Braun 2008) or an interlinguistic transfer (Jankowska 2015, Fryer 2016, Matamala 2019). The results of the analysis will allow us to identify concrete ways in which (i) the describer’s mother tongue and (ii) AD restrictions (i.e. time) and (iii) guidelines (e.g. simple sentences, vivid descriptions, Remael, Reviers & Vercauteren 2015) may have a combined impact on the constructed experience of a film for the visually impaired (in the case of interlinguistic transfer, interference will also be considered). Finally, some examples of how to exploit the collected data didactically (in translation and foreign language classes) will be included too.
Semantic analysis of choreographic instructions: Exploring dance cognition
Chiara Minoccheri – CLLE (UMR CNRS 5263), Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès
This talk presents the application of theoretical tools developed in the field of spatial semantics to contemporary dance instructions. Language can be seen as a privileged means of accessing cognition, as it consists of an explicit encoding and transmission of conceptual information. Thus, I hypothesise that a cognitivist semantic analysis of dance instructions can provide some insights into choreographers’ conceptualization of the dancing body.
The corpus is composed of 1200 motion instructions (10348 words) uttered by four French choreographers during four contemporary dance classes. The analysis focused on the nature of the entities involved (the dancers, the body parts), the semantics of the verbs of autonomous movement (marcher ‘to walk’, sauter ‘to jump’) and caused movement (lever ‘to lift’, lancer ‘to throw’), and the notion of manner, both in its syntactic (avancer lentement ‘to move forward slowly) and lexical manifestations (courir ‘to run’, rouler ‘to roll’).
The interactions between these basic components of movement are organised into a finite number of lexicalization patterns. These reveal the different linguistic structures available to choreographers to express the movements they imagine. Firstly, thanks to the creativity of the field, these patterns bring to light some neglected aspects of motion event descriptions. Secondly, each choreographer’s expressive strategies can be linked to his or her artistic research, which means that dance instructions can reflect their conceptualization of dance. The original encounter between dance and linguistics thus holds great promise for research on the semantic encoding of movement, movement cognition, and dance practice.
Dance, rhythm and rehabilitation
Claire Cherrière – Clinician-resercher at ASEI, ToNIC (Inserm & UT3), CHU Ste-Justine Research Center Montréal & Jessica Tallet – ToNIC (Inserm & UT3), Faculté des Sciences du Sport et du Mouvement Humain
Dance is a universal way of expressing oneself and communicating with others through the body. Many dance styles and music styles exist through the world, just as much as specific ways of moving and movements. The benefits of dance practice on general health, whether in a leisure, professional or in a rehabilitative context, are of increasing interest in the research community. For people of all ages with a various atypical conditions, studies have shown that dance practice leads to motor, cognitive and psycho-social benefits and cerebral reorganizations. Among all the fundamental ingredients of dance, rhythm could play an essential role in these multidimensional benefits. Especially, through the learning of choreographies with a rhythmic soundscape, we will present the hypotheses that a regular rhythm facilitates learning and associated functions in people with and without motor troubles.
From action to vision: Investigation of the neuro-biomechanical mechanisms underlying action-perception coupling
Sylvain Cremoux, CerCo (UMR CNRS 5549), Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse 3
For more than 40 years, research in cognitive psychology has been investigating the mutual influence of action and perception, i.e., the “action-perception” coupling. However, researches seeking to determine the underlying neuro-biomechanical mechanisms are more recent. Previous (and current) studies either focused on the neural mechanisms of “perception” (e.g., perception of action capabilities (Daviaux et al., 2016), perception of visual motion (Li et al., 2023)) or on the “motor control” mechanisms generating the biomechanical outcomes (e.g., regulation of muscle co-activations (Cremoux et al., 2016), force/movement production (Cremoux et al., 2012)). Most of the time, this can be explained by the study objectives that oblige to distinguish one research theme. Nonetheless, the mutual influence of perception and action, as can be highlighted through simple psychophysics tasks (Li et al., 2023; Cremoux et al., 2023), encourages to consider “action-perception” as a whole, sharing common neural mechanism. To investigate the activity of the neural network involved in action – perception coupling, one can quantify the correlation between the recordings of brain and muscles electrical activity (i.e., electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) recordings), with regards to biomechanical outcomes (e.g., force, acceleration, speed, position, …). In this talk, I will use examples from my research works conducted in people with and without motor disabilities to depict these different research themes.
Reflections on moving with imagination in a Parkinson’s dance class
Sara Houston, Centre for Research in Arts and Creative Exchange, University of Roehampton, London
One of the main distinctions between an exercise class and a dance class is the use of the imagination to create and stimulate movement. Drawing on 15 years of observing dance classes for people with Parkinson’s, Professor Houston reflects on the interesting relationship between image, imagination, facilitative language and bringing people to movement. What is it about the imagination that inspires people to view their dance classes as the highlight of their week, or even as their life line?