Chinese Spatial:English Temporal

This experimental study investigated the relationship between the space-time characteristics of language and national thinking preference in both English and Chinese speakers. Through three distinct experiments, the researchers examined how English and Chinese speakers process spatial information in noun phrases (Experiment 1), temporal information in sentences (Experiment 2), and the degree to which language structure influences their preferences for spatial or temporal thinking when describing pictures (Experiment 3). The overall findings suggest that English demonstrates stronger temporal characteristics while Chinese exhibits stronger spatial characteristics, and these linguistic traits correlate with distinct time-space thinking biases between the two cultural groups.

This study explored the space-time characteristics of English and Chinese language and national thinking preferences in three experiments. Experiment 1 examined the differences in spatial (i.e., shape and size) characteristics between English and Chinese noun phrases using a lexical judgment task. In Experiment 2, the differences in time characteristics between English and Chinese were investigated by judging the time information (past, present or future) represented by English and Chinese sentences. In Experiment 3, the participants’ spatiotemporal thinking was triggered in a task in which they were shown pictures and asked to verbally express the contents. The results showed that English expressions had stronger temporal characteristics, while Chinese expressions had stronger spatial characteristics; that British people had a stronger preference for time-based thinking, while Chinese had a stronger preference for spatial thinking; and that the differences in the space-time characteristics of language and the national temporal and spatial thinking preferences of the English and Chinese were closely related to the respective language origins, philosophies and ways of thinking. This research uses empirical methods to demonstrate the different temporal and spatial characteristics of the English and Chinese languages and the national temporal and spatial thinking preferences. It provides effective evidence for the study of English and Chinese language and thinking characteristics.

摘要：

本研究通过3个实验,探查英汉语言的时空特性与民族思维偏好。实验1通过词汇判断任务考察英汉名词短语所体现的空间（形状和体积）特性差异;实验2通过对英汉句子所含时间信息的判断考察英汉语言的时间特性差异;实验3通过看图说话任务引发被试的时空思维,再考察其语言中体现出的时空思维。结果发现：①英语表达具有更强的时间特性,汉语表达具有更强的空间特性;②英民族具有更强的时间思维偏好,汉民族具有更强的空间思维偏好;③英汉两个民族在语言的时空特性以及民族时空思维偏好上的差异与英汉两个民族的语言起源、哲学及思维方式密切相关。目前,探讨语言时空特性的研究并不多见,且以质性研究为主。本研究创新性地使用实证方法探究了英汉语言不同的时空特性及民族时空思维偏好,为英汉语言和民族思维特点的对比研究提供了有效证据,具有一定的学术价值。

"An Experimental Study on the Space-time Characteristics of Language and National Thinking Preference in English and Chinese" by Wang Dan (王丹) and Zhang Jijia (张积家).
Journal of Beijing International Studies University ›› 2021, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (6): 34-53.
https://journal.bisu.edu.cn/EN/abstract/abstract673.shtml
Wang Dan1(), Zhang Jijia2()
1. People’s Public Security University of China, Beijing 100038, China
2. Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541001, China

English; Chinese; temporal characteristic; spatial characteristic; thinking preference