Rethinking the role of language in embodied cognition
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences December 26, 2022 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0375 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Linguistics |
| Key points | Proposes that language enhances embodied cognition through its own embodied nature, offering a novel account of its role in concepts within a multimodal, multilevel conceptual system. |
Abstract
There has been a lot of recent interest in the way that language might enhance embodied cognition. This interest is driven in large part by a growing body of evidence implicating the language system in various aspects of semantic memory—including, but not limited to, its apparent contribution to abstract concepts. In this essay, I develop and defend a novel account of the cognitive role played by language in our concepts. This account relies on the embodied nature of the language system itself, diverges in significant ways from traditional accounts, and is part of a flexible, multimodal and multilevel view of our conceptual system. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Concepts in interaction: social engagement and inner experiences’.