Interfaces between language and cognition: metaphor, iconicity, and multimodal numerical communication

Woodin, Greg ORCID: 0000-0001-7992-4991 (2023). Interfaces between language and cognition: metaphor, iconicity, and multimodal numerical communication. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis explores metaphor, iconicity, and multimodal numerical communication, and their connection to the cognitive processes that are involved in language comprehension and production. Focusing on the English language, this thesis discusses the idea that linguistic metaphors reflect deeper conceptualisations of the world, which are expressed multimodally through metaphoric and iconic gesture, prosody, and vocalization. It also studies the representation of these metaphors in cultural artifacts, like line graphs, and how these representations can make data visualizations easier to comprehend. By focusing on number metaphors and then expanding its scope to include numerical communication more broadly, this thesis explores how communication about numbers reflects numerical cognition. It also argues that sensorimotor simulation motivates iconic and metaphoric expression in different modalities, and discusses the implications of this argument for language evolution. By synthesising insights from a wide range of research areas and methodologies from across the spectrum of linguistics, cognitive science, and psychology, this thesis demonstrates that metaphor, iconicity, and multimodal numerical communication are interfaces between language and cognition.

Type of Work:	Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)
Award Type:	Doctorates > Ph.D.
Supervisor(s):	Supervisor(s) Email ORCID Littlemore, Jeannette UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-4670-0275 Winter, Bodo UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0001-6036-6774 Perlman, Marcus UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-1269-3882
Licence:	All rights reserved
College/Faculty:	Colleges (2008 onwards) > College of Arts & Law
School or Department:	School of English, Drama and Creative Studies, Department of English Language and Linguistics
Funders:	Economic and Social Research Council
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology P Language and Literature > PE English
URI:	http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/13504

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