Fictive Motion and Visualisation: Dynamic Spatial Perception in Turkish

Year 2024, Issue: 42, 1 - 14, 17.12.2024

Abdullah Topraksoy

https://doi.org/10.26650/jol.2024.1579393

Abstract

This study investigates fictive motion (FM) expressions in Turkish, focusing on how static spatial relationships are described dynamically through language. FM, a linguistic phenomenon where static scenes are described with motionrelated terms (e.g., "The road winds through the valley"), stimulates mental simulation and enhances spatial visualisation. Using a drawing experiment, sixty native Turkish speakers were presented with twelve pairs of fictive and nonfictive sentences to illustrate their interpretations. Statistical analysis confirmed significant differences in seven of the twelve pairs, highlighting the role of motion-implying verbs in expanding spatial perception. Results show that FM expressions lead to larger and more extended visual descriptions, supporting the idea that FM facilitates vivid mental simulations of motion, even when describing stationary scenes. These findings align with cognitive linguistic theories such as Langacker’s virtuality (1999), Talmy’s typology of FM (2000) and Matlock’s mental simulation (2004) by contributing to the understanding of FM in a verbframed language like Turkish. By examining FM through visual representation, this study adds to the cross-linguistic research on FM, highlighting the role of language in shaping spatial conceptualisation.

Keywords

Fictive motion, mental simulation, Turkish, spatial conceptualisation, cognitive linguistics

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