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Chapter 9 - Conclusion

from Part II - Abstractness and Language

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2023

Anna M. Borghi
Affiliation:
University of Rome
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Summary

This book is a book on neither language nor abstract concepts. I treat language in its relationship with abstractness and abstract concepts in relation to language. One of the main reasons it has been written is to highlight the prominence of language for cognition and, more generally, our life. Although no theory has totally neglected the role of language, embodied and grounded theories of cognition have typically underlined the role of sensorimotor experience, semantic distributional views have considered language mainly in terms of word associations, and pragmatic views have not emphasized the transformative role that language has on cognition. Here I propose a holistic view of language, in which words are considered physical tools that influence our physical environment, inner and cognitive tools that impact our cognition, and social tools that transform our social environment. While the book’s first part focuses on language, the second part deals with abstract concepts and the words that express them. These words are intriguing because, among all words, their meaning is more subjective, variable, and open. They exemplify well the freedom language grant to us. In addition, more than other words, they demonstrate that conceptualization and language are social constructions.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Freedom of Words
Abstractness and the Power of Language
, pp. 288 - 290
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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References

Borghi, A. M. (2022). Concepts for which we need others more: The case of abstract concepts. Current Directions in Psychological Science, Current 31(3), 09637214221079625.Google Scholar
Borghi, A. M., Barca, L., Binkofski, F., Castelfranchi, C., Pezzulo, G., & Tummolini, L. (2019). Words as social tools: Language, sociality and inner grounding in abstract concepts. Physics of Life Reviews, 29, 120153.Google Scholar
Dove, G. (2022). Abstract concepts and the embodied mind. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Fodor, J. A. (1998). Concepts: Where cognitive science went wrong. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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  • Conclusion
  • Anna M. Borghi, University of Rome
  • Book: The Freedom of Words
  • Online publication: 20 July 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108913294.012
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  • Conclusion
  • Anna M. Borghi, University of Rome
  • Book: The Freedom of Words
  • Online publication: 20 July 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108913294.012
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Conclusion
  • Anna M. Borghi, University of Rome
  • Book: The Freedom of Words
  • Online publication: 20 July 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108913294.012
Available formats
×