Language is handy but is it embodied?

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience
• Linguistics

Background:

• The Mirror System Hypothesis (MSH) proposes manual action grounds language evolution.
• Current debates question the extent to which language is embodied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the role of embodiment in language evolution and development.
• To examine abstraction processes in the modern human brain and their relation to language.
• To advocate for integrated empirical and computational approaches in language research.

Main Methods:

• Review of the Mirror System Hypothesis (MSH).
• Analysis of embodiment as a graded concept in language.
• Proposal for integrating empirical studies with computational modeling for studying abstraction, generalization, and metaphor.
• Consideration of construction grammar for modeling human language processing.

Main Results:

• Embodiment is a graded concept, foundational for evolutionary and developmental aspects of language and concepts.
• Modern human brains possess abstraction capabilities that reduce the relevance of embodiment in much language use.
• Integration of empirical and computational methods is crucial for detailed understanding of language processes.

Conclusions:

• Embodiment is a foundational but not universally dominant aspect of language.
• Future research should focus on the interplay between embodiment and abstraction through integrated modeling approaches.
• Construction grammar variants are suitable for modeling human language processing.