Abstract
Spatial relations are words used to describe the existing relationships between elements present in environments. In the Natural Language, that is, that of the representations present geographical spatial organizations often seen in the daily lives of individuals, the user when reporting their location, uses a significant amount of spatial relations. Consequently, one has the difficulty of defining which of these words are suited to be used in spatial descriptions, in the sense of transmitting spatial information in a clear and precise way. Aiming to foster research in this field, an experiment was carried out with volunteers natives Brazilian Portuguese language in which the use of five spatial relations denoting distances in qualitative terms was sought. The results obtained showed that, although they present similar understandings, the incorrect use of one of these spatial relations can transmit to the receiver of the message an erroneous spatial information. In addition, it was observed a tendency in choosing a specific spatial relation as the distance between the reference elements increases with each other.
Highlights
When describing the strategies needed to reach a specific location or report the spatial configuration of an environment, the individual performs the spatial description task
The experiment reported in this article was proposed with the aim of understanding the use of spatial relations “near”, “very near”, “next to”, “side by side” and “nearby”, and to optimize the use of such words in the task of spatial description
The objective of this research was to understand the use of spatial relations that denote distances in qualitative terms in spatial descriptions, in an attempt to show which of them is suitable for each of the four spatial configurations proposed, according to the choice of participants
Summary
When describing the strategies needed to reach a specific location or report the spatial configuration of an environment, the individual performs the spatial description task The purpose of these descriptions is to identify objects or events in a specific environment or to provide information from a specific, unknown region to the user receiving the information (Hall et al 2015; Stock 2010; Herskovits 1985). Such descriptions are commonplace in people’s daily life and occur naturally, since in dealing with abstract notions human beings choose to reflect using spatial concepts - as a consequence of their ability to reason spatially. The spatial terms, called as spatial relation, have the characteristic of relating the elements present in the visual scenes described (Li et al 2011; Herskovits 1985)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
