Containment and Support: Core and Complexity in Spatial Language Learning

Abstract

Containment and support have traditionally been assumed to represent universal conceptual foundations for spatial terms. This assumption can be challenged, however: English in and on are applied across a surprisingly broad range of exemplars, and comparable terms in other languages show significant variation in their application. We propose that the broad domains of both containment and support have internal structure that reflects different subtypes, that this structure is reflected in basic spatial term usage across languages, and that it constrains children's spatial term learning. Using a newly developed battery, we asked how adults and 4-year-old children speaking English or Greek distribute basic spatial terms across subtypes of containment and support. We found that containment showed similar distributions of basic terms across subtypes among all groups while support showed such similarity only among adults, with striking differences between children learning English versus Greek. We conclude that the two domains differ considerably in the learning problems they present, and that learning in and on is remarkably complex. Together, our results point to the need for a more nuanced view of spatial term learning.

Spatial Semantics, Cognition, and Their Interaction: A Comparative Study of Spatial Categorization in English and Korean

“…For example, in addition to spatial prepositions, English has spatial verbs, such as "fit, connect" to indicate tight-fit relation (e.g., fit the book into the cover, fit/connect the Lego â piece onto another Lego â ) piece). Such spatial verbs may play some role in categorizing space in English (Fuse, 2006;Landau, Johannes, Skordos, & Papafragou, 2016). Landau et al (2016) have recently shown that English speakers use more diverse verbs to indicate various types of support, in particular those involving attachment or hanging.…”

“…Such spatial verbs may play some role in categorizing space in English (Fuse, 2006;Landau, Johannes, Skordos, & Papafragou, 2016). Landau et al (2016) have recently shown that English speakers use more diverse verbs to indicate various types of support, in particular those involving attachment or hanging.…”

“…For example, in addition to spatial prepositions, English has spatial verbs, such as “fit, connect” to indicate tight‐fit relation (e.g., fit the book into the cover, fit/connect the Lego ® piece onto another Lego ® ) piece ). Such spatial verbs may play some role in categorizing space in English (Fuse, ; Landau, Johannes, Skordos, & Papafragou, ). Landau et al.…”

“…Landau et al. () have recently shown that English speakers use more diverse verbs to indicate various types of support, in particular those involving attachment or hanging.…”

“…The specific contrast between English and Korean presented in Choi and Bowerman () has triggered a number of studies exploring its possible impact on perception/cognition in infants, children, and adults (e.g., Casasola, ,b; Hespos & Spelke, ; McDonough, Choi, & Mandler, ), as well as studies examining spatial categorization in other languages (e.g., Feist, ; Landau et al., ; Levinson & Meira, ; Pederson & Bowerman, ). In developmental studies, both universal and language‐specific patterns have been reported: While preverbal infants can perceive and discriminate a large number of spatial features (e.g., containment, tight‐fit containment, verticality) regardless of ambient language from an early stage of language learning (Casasola, Cohen, & Chiarello, ; Hespos & Spelke, ; McDonough et al., ; Quinn, Cummins, Kase, Maartin, & Weissman, ), toddlers establish language‐specific spatial semantic categories (Choi, McDonough, Bowerman, & Mandler, ): From at least 18 months of age, Korean‐learning children understand that the verb kkita refers to the category of “tight fit” that includes both tight containment and tight support, whereas English‐learning children understand that the verb phrase put in refers to a containment category irrespective of tight or loose fit.…”