Symbolic Systems Forum - Teenie Matlock

Teenie Matlock, Department of Psychology, "Simulating motion in language and thought":

In everyday talk, people use motion language, such as go, run, or move, when they are describing things that have little or nothing to do with motion. They say, "The mountain range goes from Canada to Mexico," or "The table runs along the wall," when neither the mountain range nor the table moves. Or they say, "The meeting has been moved forward two days," or "The session runs until 8," when there is no observable motion. My presentation addresses the following questions: Why do people use motion language to describe static scenes and abstract domains? What's going on during processing?