A Study Of Embodiment Effect Of Chinese Transfer Verbs

The prevailing embodied cognition regards human body as a foundation for language,in which our sensory-motor systems play a vital role in language comprehension and processing especially.Numerous scholars have conducted some research on the link between embodiment effect and alphabetic languages.However,Chinese,as a logographic language,verbs are classified in a different manner from alphabetic languages leading to special verbal compositions.The present study,therefore,aims to figure out the specific timing of interfering effect in comprehending action language,especially transfer verbs in Chinese.A dual-task paradigm of Action-sentence Compatibility Effect was used,in which 102 Chinese native speakers were asked to read sentences describing a transfer verb either away from or towards themselves.After each sentence,semantic judgement would be assigned to participants to make a choice.The sentences were all restricted by the conventional structure “ 把 ” in Chinese.In the experiment,the sentences were divided into several sequential segments.When the segments containing transfer verbs appeared on the screen,and after three different timing onset(100ms,200 ms,and 350 ms),a visual motion cue prompted participants to move their hand either away from or toward themselves to press a corresponding button on the keyboard.Immediately,a semantic question would present on the screen,which leaded participants to make a choice according to the previous sentence meaning.The results showed that there existed significance between matching-mismatching condition at three different stimulus onset asynchronys,but under the short temporal course(100 ms and 200 ms),meaning-action interfering effect occurred in the matching conditions.After the delaying onset(350 ms),permanent facilitation emerged.The results may provide evidence for the activation of sensory-motor system in brain,in which competition may arise between language processing and action performance.The results are consistent with the previous studies of other alphabetic language,which,to some extent,complements the evidence for the universality of embodied view.In addition,the study shows the distinction of motion events by Chinese transfer verbs,in which the combination of manner verbs and path verbs describes the entire motion events.