This paper attempts to show the universality and relativity
of the unconscious cognition of space division among humans.
Since the cognition of direction, i.e., folk orientation, has been
discussed elsewhere [YOSHIDA 1977, 1980a], the cognition of
distance, the other fundamental factor in space cognition, is the
focus of this paper.
Demonstratives were selected for analysis because their essential
component is spatial and also unconscious, and they occur
worldwide. Although the spatial component of demonstratives
is stressed here, demonstratives have many other components.
The spatial components of demonstratives of 479 languages and/or
dialects are examined. The lexeme is treated as a unit of demonstratives
in principle, but the independent form of-demonstratives
is used as a unit in the case of polysyntetic languages.
Through the analysis of the spatial components of demonstratives,
.47 types of cognition of space division are formulated.
These types are assigned to seven super-types; two divisional type
(2-type; consisting of "near" and "far"), speaker-centric type (Stype),
speaker-hearer type (H-type), vertical up/down type (Vtype),
four directional type (D-type), aside-type (As-type), and
back space type (B-type). Among them, the H-type is closely
related with the personal pronoun system and is complex in terms
of a definite space division.
There are four common types: 1) 2-type (217 out of 479 languages
and/or dialects, 45.3%), 2) 3F-type (consisting of "near",
"far" and "further"
, 83 languages, 17.3%), 3) 3H-type (consisting
of speaker's space, hearer's space and the other space without both
spaces, 50 languages, 10.4%), and 4) 3M-type (consisting of "near",
"middle" and "far"
, 29 languages, 6.4%). Twenty-nine types
are specific, and are found in only one language. Though many
languages are assigned to few common types, such as 2-type, 3Ftype,
3H-type and 3M-type, the diversification of the types of
cognition of space division is rather large, being found especially
in New Guinea, Oceania, and America.
The etic unit of distance cognition is hypothesized in this paper
to clarify the general features of distance cognition among humans.
There are three levels of distance cognition; biological, physiological,
and cultural. In the biological level, space is divided into
three; individual, social and outer social spaces. Individual space
is purely egocentric and differs from Hall's personal distance which
is the distance between two individuals or among more than two
individuals [HALL 1966]. On the physiological level, space is
divided into four; kinesthetic, aural, visual, and outer visual space
is added. The critical lines of each space are a) touching limit
line, b) hailing limit line, and c) visible limit line, respectively.
At the cultural level, space has seven divisions : kinesthetic, aural
and visual spaces are sub-divided into two, respectively, and outer
visual space is added to them.
It can be argued that individual space coincides with kinesthetic
space in humans. That the use of the touching limit line is
almost universal (98.1%) is explicable by this hypothesis. In
other words, the touching limit line is universally recognized, since
it has a fundamental, biological basis. Although this limit is
extended psychologically, such aspects are not considered here.
Though the line is defined as the "touching limit line" through
worldwide, the actual limit varies to some extent among cultures.
This is interesting in terms of proxemics.
Space division at the physiological level is potentially universal,
according to the result of the analysis of spatial component of
demonstratives. Space division at the cultural level is specific
among the cultures, and the seven divisions are enough for discussing
the spatial component of demonstratives of the world's languages.
指示詞にみられる空間分割の類型とその普遍性
KH_005_4_001.pdf
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