Languages use different spatial axes to represent time, such as front-to-back or vertical axes.
The way duration is expressed and conceptualized in language varies, with different languages using different markers and dimensions.
Deep dives
Different spatial axes for temporal metaphors
Different languages use different spatial axes to represent time. Some languages, like English, use the front-to-back axis, with the past positioned in front and the future positioned behind. Others, like Chinese, use the vertical axis, with up representing the past and down representing the future.
Duration markers and their origins
Languages express duration in various ways. In English, duration is often marked using the preposition 'from' and 'to', indicating the start and end points in time. Other languages may derive temporal markers from words for beginning or motion. Additionally, the way duration is conceptualized can vary, with English using linear distance expressions, while other languages may use amount or other dimensions.
Time moving versus ego moving metaphors
Different languages employ different metaphors to represent movement in time. Some languages, like English, use ego moving metaphors, where individuals move through time. Others, like Mandarin, rely more on time moving metaphors, where time itself moves past the observer. Languages can mix and match these metaphors to varying degrees.
Different perspectives on reversing the direction of time
The direction of time can be perceived differently in different languages and cultures. The way time is represented and gestures, orientations, and spatial arrangements can vary. For example, English and Spanish speakers tend to put the past behind them and the future ahead, while speakers of some Australian Aboriginal languages arrange time based on their compass directions. The reversing of temporal directions can have cultural and linguistic implications.
Today we discuss how languages talk about time. Particularly, how do we map time onto space metaphorically. Top of Show Greeting: Duojjin Links and Resources: From Space to Time (Haspelmath) — warning, big download Metaphor SPACE AS TIME across languages How Languages Construct Time Time and the mind: Using space to think about time Spatial... Read more »
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