Development of Geocentric Spatial Language and Cognition (Hardcover)

Pierre R. Dasen

ISBN 10: 052119105X / ISBN 13: 9780521191050

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2010

About this Item

Hardcover. Perspective. Investigates the acquisition and use of geocentric spatial language for children in Bali, India, Nepal, and Switzerland. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780521191050

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Development of Geocentric Spatial Language and Cognition (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 052119105X
• ISBN 13: 9780521191050
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Egocentric spatial language uses coordinates in relation to our body to talk about small-scale space (‘put the knife on the right of the plate and the fork on the left'), while geocentric spatial language uses geographic coordinates (‘put the knife to the east, and the fork to the west'). How do children learn to use geocentric language? And why do geocentric spatial references sound strange in English when they are standard practice in other languages? This book studies child development in Bali, India, Nepal, and Switzerland and explores how children learn to use a geocentric frame both when speaking and performing non-verbal cognitive tasks (such as remembering locations and directions). The authors examine how these skills develop with age, look at the socio-cultural contexts in which the learning takes place, and explore the ecological, cultural, social, and linguistic conditions that favour the use of a geocentric frame of reference.

Book Description

When talking about the location of objects inside a room, we can use small-scale egocentric directions (right and left) or large-scale geocentric ones (North, South, East and West). This book explores children's acquisition and use of spatial frames of reference in different cultural contexts, including Bali, India, Nepal, and Switzerland.