Abstract meanings may be more dynamic, due to their sociality. Comment on "Words as social tools: Language, sociality and inner grounding in abstract concepts" by Anna M. Borghi et al.
Abstract
Borghi et al. [1] present a convincing and comprehensive review of diverse evidence that urges the field to reconsider a perspective that is often overlooked: That concepts and language are as much a social phenomenon as a mental one. Their treatment draws on important insights that have survived decades [2], as well as on new insights availed by cognitive neuroscience [3]. As Borghi et al. uncover the exceptional reliance of abstract concepts on social aspects of language use, we suggest that representations for abstract meanings may be more flexible and dynamic than for concrete meanings.
- Publication:
-
Physics of Life Reviews
- Pub Date:
- July 2019
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.plrev.2019.02.011
- Bibcode:
- 2019PhLRv..29..175F