Save

Environmental adaptation in language

Spatial grammar, landscape knowledge and human survival

In: Language Dynamics and Change
Authors:
Magnus Pharao Hansen University of Copenhagen Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies Denmark Copenhagen

Search for other papers by Magnus Pharao Hansen in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
and
Carolyn O’Meara Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Seminario de Lenguas Indígenas, Instituto de Investigaciones Filológicas Mexico Mexico City

Search for other papers by Carolyn O’Meara in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Download Citation Get Permissions

Access options

Get access to the full article by using one of the access options below.

Institutional Login

Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials

Login via Institution

Purchase

Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

$40.00

Abstract

We argue that the human ability to linguistically describe spatial locations, relations and paths is likely to contribute importantly to human survival, and that consequently the relation between linguistic elements and structures used in spatial reference, and the environment in which humans navigate, ought to be of concern for evolutionary studies of language. We make the case for systematically studying the correspondences between the structures of human spatial language and the spatially structured practices of human groups within specific landscapes, and for considering this relation within a diachronic framework, as a process of cultural and linguistic adaptation to the physical environment. The last section presents the research design of the Nahuatl Space Project, which investigates the possibility of environmental adaptation of spatial language in four varieties of the Nahuan languages of Mexico.

Content Metrics

All Time Past 365 days Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 1199 247 46
Full Text Views 75 6 0
PDF Views & Downloads 132 16 0