Abstract
While many links have been established between sensory-motor words used literally (kick the ball) and sensory-motor regions of the brain, it is less clear whether metaphorically used words (kick the habit) also show such signs of “embodiment.” Additionally, not much is known about the timing or nature of the connection between language and sensory-motor neural processing. We used stimuli divided into three figurativeness conditions—literal, metaphor, and anomalous—and two modality conditions—auditory (Her limousine was a privileged snort) and motion (The editorial was a brass-knuckle punch). The conditions were matched on a large number of potentially confounding factors including cloze probability. The electroencephalographic response to the final word of each sentence was measured at 64 electrode sites on the scalp of 22 participants and event-related potentials (ERPs) calculated. Analysis revealed greater amplitudes for metaphorical than literal sentences in both 350–500 ms and 500–650 ms timeframes. Results supported the possibility of different neural substrates for motion and auditory sentences. Greater differences for motion sentences were seen in the left posterior and left central electrode sites than elsewhere on the scalp. These findings are consistent with a sensory-motor neural categorization of language and with the integration of modal and amodal information during the N400 and P600 timeframes.
Highlights
That many neural links have been established between language and action (e.g., Wallentin et al, 2005) it is time to move beyond the debate about whether language and cognition are embodied and to begin investigating the timing and nature of the neural link between language and sensory-motor aspects of experience (Chatterjee, 2010)
We extend this work by comparing metaphors based on two modalities, auditory (The flowers were a colorful clamor) and motion (Her inquiries were a nervous scamper)
We used event-related potentials (ERPs) to compare the processing of motion (The partnership was a financial tailspin) and auditory (His emails were an insistent knock) unfamiliar metaphors to literal and anomalous sentences using the same final word
Summary
That many neural links have been established between language and action (e.g., Wallentin et al, 2005) it is time to move beyond the debate about whether language and cognition are embodied and to begin investigating the timing and nature of the neural link between language and sensory-motor aspects of experience (Chatterjee, 2010). In the current study we investigate the metaphorical use of motion and auditory words using event-related potentials (ERPs). Using this method allows us to examine the timing of the link between conceptual and sensorimotor aspects of a semantic concept. If something like intentionality is important in showing a link between sensorimotor processes and language, the nature of embodiment may be more complex than previously thought
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