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Published on: September 5, 2019
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Learning to comprehend and explain spatial metaphors for time in Chinese.
Jing Paul1, Lauren J Stites2, Şeyda Özçalışkan2
1Agnes Scott College, Asian Studies, Decatur, Georgia, U.S.A.
Journal of Child Language
|April 21, 2025
Summary
Children learning Chinese develop an understanding of spatial metaphors for time later than English speakers, with significant gains observed between ages 7-8. Metaphor structure impacts the timing, not the path, of this development.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Linguistic Psychology
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
Background:
- Time is often conceptualized using spatial metaphors, such as "moving-time" or "moving-ego."
- Chinese language exhibits significant variability in expressing these temporal metaphors.
- Understanding these metaphors is crucial for language acquisition and cognitive development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental trajectory of understanding spatial metaphors for time in Chinese-learning children.
- To compare the acquisition timeline with that of English-learning children.
- To examine the influence of different metaphor structures on comprehension and explanation.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 60 children learning Chinese, aged 3-8 years, participated.
- Children completed metaphor explanation and comprehension tasks.
- Performance was analyzed based on age groups (3-4, 5-6, 7-8) and metaphor type.
Main Results:
- Children's performance in understanding and explaining temporal metaphors improved with age.
- Significant developmental gains were observed in the 7-8 age group, indicating later mastery compared to English learners.
- Metaphor type influenced explanation but not comprehension, suggesting distinct cognitive processes.
Conclusions:
- The structure of spatial metaphors for time in Chinese affects the timing of acquisition, not the developmental path.
- Chinese children master these metaphors later than their English-speaking peers.
- Findings contribute to understanding cross-linguistic differences in conceptual metaphor development.
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