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    Rights statement: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Acta Linguistica Hafniensia on 23/04/2018, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03740463.2018.1433905

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Spatial inflection and memory for direction in Acazulco Otomi

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Spatial inflection and memory for direction in Acazulco Otomi. / Boeg Thomsen, Ditte; Volhardt, Marc Daniel Skibsted.
In: Acta Linguistica Hafniensia, Vol. 50, No. 2, 01.10.2018, p. 208-241.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Boeg Thomsen, D & Volhardt, MDS 2018, 'Spatial inflection and memory for direction in Acazulco Otomi', Acta Linguistica Hafniensia, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 208-241. https://doi.org/10.1080/03740463.2018.1433905

APA

Vancouver

Boeg Thomsen D, Volhardt MDS. Spatial inflection and memory for direction in Acazulco Otomi. Acta Linguistica Hafniensia. 2018 Oct 1;50(2):208-241. Epub 2018 Apr 23. doi: 10.1080/03740463.2018.1433905

Author

Boeg Thomsen, Ditte ; Volhardt, Marc Daniel Skibsted. / Spatial inflection and memory for direction in Acazulco Otomi. In: Acta Linguistica Hafniensia. 2018 ; Vol. 50, No. 2. pp. 208-241.

Bibtex

@article{a7a536970b7d47e181368c6d8c35dbbf,
title = "Spatial inflection and memory for direction in Acazulco Otomi",
abstract = "Many languages have developed a specialized tool for coding spatial background aspects of events: associated motion morphology. This sparsely investigated verb inflection allows speakers to specify that the situation described by a verb takes place against the background of a motion event, as in “sing (while coming)”. Associated-motion systems typically include deictic information, and when verb inflection requires distinctions between motion in different directions, a thinking-for-speaking account would predict cognitive consequences in the shape of heightened memory for direction. To evaluate this hypothesis, we compare encoding of and memory for direction in an endangered Otopamean language, Acazulco Otom{\'i} (Mexico). First, we examine diversity and frequency in the use of associated-motion inflection in pilgrim narratives. Then, we investigate the potential cognitive correlates with a psycholinguistic recognition-memory experiment measuring change-detection performance. Linguistic encoding of background direction was found to support memory for direction, but the sample size was small, and the experiment further indicated that both the associated-motion inflection and its corresponding attention patterns are in a process of dissolution. This echoes findings in Arrernte and Moje{\~n}o Trinitario, and we discuss why associated motion might be an especially vulnerable category in language-endangerment contexts.",
keywords = "Associated-motion morphology, spatial inflection, thinking for speaking, language endangerment",
author = "{Boeg Thomsen}, Ditte and Volhardt, {Marc Daniel Skibsted}",
note = "This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Acta Linguistica Hafniensia on 23/04/2018, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03740463.2018.1433905",
year = "2018",
month = oct,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1080/03740463.2018.1433905",
language = "English",
volume = "50",
pages = "208--241",
journal = "Acta Linguistica Hafniensia",
issn = "0374-0463",
publisher = "Lingvistkredsen",
number = "2",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Spatial inflection and memory for direction in Acazulco Otomi

AU - Boeg Thomsen, Ditte

AU - Volhardt, Marc Daniel Skibsted

N1 - This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Acta Linguistica Hafniensia on 23/04/2018, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03740463.2018.1433905

PY - 2018/10/1

Y1 - 2018/10/1

N2 - Many languages have developed a specialized tool for coding spatial background aspects of events: associated motion morphology. This sparsely investigated verb inflection allows speakers to specify that the situation described by a verb takes place against the background of a motion event, as in “sing (while coming)”. Associated-motion systems typically include deictic information, and when verb inflection requires distinctions between motion in different directions, a thinking-for-speaking account would predict cognitive consequences in the shape of heightened memory for direction. To evaluate this hypothesis, we compare encoding of and memory for direction in an endangered Otopamean language, Acazulco Otomí (Mexico). First, we examine diversity and frequency in the use of associated-motion inflection in pilgrim narratives. Then, we investigate the potential cognitive correlates with a psycholinguistic recognition-memory experiment measuring change-detection performance. Linguistic encoding of background direction was found to support memory for direction, but the sample size was small, and the experiment further indicated that both the associated-motion inflection and its corresponding attention patterns are in a process of dissolution. This echoes findings in Arrernte and Mojeño Trinitario, and we discuss why associated motion might be an especially vulnerable category in language-endangerment contexts.

AB - Many languages have developed a specialized tool for coding spatial background aspects of events: associated motion morphology. This sparsely investigated verb inflection allows speakers to specify that the situation described by a verb takes place against the background of a motion event, as in “sing (while coming)”. Associated-motion systems typically include deictic information, and when verb inflection requires distinctions between motion in different directions, a thinking-for-speaking account would predict cognitive consequences in the shape of heightened memory for direction. To evaluate this hypothesis, we compare encoding of and memory for direction in an endangered Otopamean language, Acazulco Otomí (Mexico). First, we examine diversity and frequency in the use of associated-motion inflection in pilgrim narratives. Then, we investigate the potential cognitive correlates with a psycholinguistic recognition-memory experiment measuring change-detection performance. Linguistic encoding of background direction was found to support memory for direction, but the sample size was small, and the experiment further indicated that both the associated-motion inflection and its corresponding attention patterns are in a process of dissolution. This echoes findings in Arrernte and Mojeño Trinitario, and we discuss why associated motion might be an especially vulnerable category in language-endangerment contexts.

KW - Associated-motion morphology

KW - spatial inflection

KW - thinking for speaking

KW - language endangerment

U2 - 10.1080/03740463.2018.1433905

DO - 10.1080/03740463.2018.1433905

M3 - Journal article

VL - 50

SP - 208

EP - 241

JO - Acta Linguistica Hafniensia

JF - Acta Linguistica Hafniensia

SN - 0374-0463

IS - 2

ER -