Motion in Language and Experience

Motion has attracted much attention in the field of semantics. In cognitive
semantics, it is seen as a basic and universal domain for language and cognition.
In semantic typology, languages have been suggested to follow a binary typology
of “motion events”. However, the validity of these claims has been disputed in
relation to cross-linguistic diversity.
By bringing together insights from Husserlian phenomenology and Cognitive
Linguistics, Motion in Language and Experience develops a framework for
addressing important questions in contemporary semantics. In order to account
for both universality and variation across languages, this framework proposes
that linguistic meaning is motivated from experience, but strongly adaptable to
language-specific conventions.
Semantic and typological issues are addressed in two cross-linguistic studies
carried out with speakers of Swedish, French and Thai. The first study investigates
the expression of actual motion, where an object changes its position against a
background. The second study focuses on the expression of non-actual motion,
where motion expressions are used to describe situations without any apparent
positional change, such as The road runs through the forest.