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LANGUAGE AND SPACE

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Levinson, Stephen C.·1996·Annual Review of Anthropology
DOI 10.1146/annurev.anthro.25.1.353
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Abstract

▪ Abstract This review describes some recent, unexpected findings concerning variation in spatial language across cultures, and places them in the context of the general anthropology of space on the one hand, and theories of spatial cognition in the cognitive sciences on the other. There has been much concern with the symbolism of space in anthropological writings, but little on concepts of space in practical activities. This neglect of everyday spatial notions may be due to unwitting ethnocentrism, the assumption in Western thinking generally that notions of space are universally of a single kind. Recent work shows that systems of spatial reckoning and description can in fact be quite divergent across cultures, linguistic differences correlating with distinct cognitive tendencies. This unexpected cultural variation raises interesting questions concerning the relation between cultural and linguistic concepts and the biological foundations of cognition. It argues for more sophisticated models relating culture and cognition than we currently have available.

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Cited by

Metadata

Authors
Levinson, S. C.
Venue
Annual Review of Anthropology
Publisher
Annual Reviews
Published
1996-10
Volume
25
Issue
1
Pages
353-382
ISSN
  • 0084-6570 (ISSN-L)
  • 1545-4290
DOI
10.1146/annurev.anthro.25.1.353
OpenAlex
W2165318118
Cited by
761
References
2
FWCI
9.41
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
green

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