8 Granularity in the cross‐linguistic encoding of motion and location

Abstract

In this study, we explore three ways in which the notion of "granularity" emerges from the study of cross-linguistic event semantics. The first interpretation of granularity has to do with event segmentation for linguistic expressions. Where humans place event boundaries varies depending on the language and cultural setting in which the event is encoded. Second, within the set boundaries of a 'single event' in time there are many elements that could all receive expression, and again languages show variation, both with respect to which elements are mentioned at all, our second interpretation of granularity, and the specificity with which these elements are characterized, our third interpretation. It remains a matter for empirical research to discover whether these differences in linguistic expression reflect or inform different representations of event boundaries and event classification for nonlinguistic purposes as well.

Event Segmentation and Causation: The Case of Mandarin Causal‐Chain Motion*

“…Segmentation is foundational for event representation in language (Bohnemeyer et al. 2007, 2010; Bylund 2010; Gerwien & von Stutterheim 2018; Habel & Tappe 1999; van Staden & Narasimhan 2013; Zacks 2020; Zacks & Tversky 2001, 2013). For instance, the scenario of “a girl breaks a vase by throwing a hammer at it” can be segmented into one event with a single clause ( the vase breaks ), or two events with two clauses ( a girl hit the vase with a hammer and it broke ), or three events with three clauses ( a girl hit the vase with a hammer.…”