Project Details
Projekt
Visual and non-visual means of perspective taking in language II
Subject Area
General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages
Term
since 2022
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 502020307
The project “Visual and non-visual means of perspective taking in language II” explores how perspective can be expressed simultaneously and divergently across language, gesture, and image in multimodal communication. Building on findings from the first project phase - which showed that gesture and speech are not necessarily aligned in terms of perspective - the second phase aims to develop a formal theory of so-called demonstrations (e.g., gestures, emojis, memes). The core assumption is that demonstrations are inherently perspective-dependent. The central focus lies on how gestures and images contribute iconic information, which aspects of these demonstrations are actually meaning-bearing (depictive), and how they interact with spoken or written language. The project further develops theoretical distinctions, such as those between prototypical and non-prototypical gestures or between object-related and concept-related interpretations. In parallel, it investigates how visual content in combination with language - for example in political memes - is interpreted, which visual features are taken to be relevant, and how they contribute to conveying stance or emotion. The project consists of four work packages: (1) investigates perspective taking in gestures, (2) in text-image combinations like memes, (3) develops a formal semantics of demonstrative acts, and (4) addresses experimentally when visual elements are interpreted as central, i.e., at-issue. A special focus is placed on improving diagnostic tools for identifying meaning-contributing content in the visual modality - for example, through reaction time experiments comparing linguistic and gestural material. The aim is to develop an integrated, theoretically grounded and empirically supported model of multimodal perspective taking. In doing so, the project makes an innovative contribution to formal semantics, experimental pragmatics, and the interdisciplinary study of visual communication.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
