The Use of Locative Expressions in Dependence of the Spatial Relation between Target and Reference Object in Two-Dimensional Layouts

Abstract

In two experiments we investigated the use of German locative a function of the spatial relation between a reference object (RO)and a to-be-located object (LO). In the experiments, a speaker describedto another participant, by locative expressions, where LO can be found in relationto RO. LO (a blue dot) was presented at different positions around RO (a red dot).The listener saw RO only, and her or his task was to find LO by moving a small windowover the screen using the computer mouse. The positions of LO were circularlyarranged around RO and their angular relations were varied in steps of 15 degrees.In Experiment 1, only the four canonical expressions (left/right, above/below)and their single composites were allowed. In Experiment 2, no constraints weremade. Both experiments yielded comparable results. The canonical expressionswere used nearly exclusively for prototypical relations, and their production latencieswere the shortest.Composites were used for all non-prototypical relations. There wasonly a small spatial area next to the canonical directions in which two differentlocative expressions were used, and in these areas of competition the longestproduction times were observed. Thus, canonical expressions were used in a much smallerarea around the prototypical axes than predicted by selection rules based on applicabilityratings obtained in meta-linguistic judgments.