Autonomy and interaction 1

In this chapter, we explore the nature of spatial language and how it engages non-linguistic spatial representational systems. We ask to what degree and in what way spatial language depends on non-linguistic spatial representation for development, and to what degree it can emerge autonomously. We focus on spatial language in people with Williams syndrome, who have severe non-linguistic spatial impairments but relatively spared language. We consider the problem of what is to be acquired when one learns spatial language, and how it might be affected when one or more aspects of non-linguistic spatial representation is impaired. Our conclusion is that it depends: Where spatial language encodes the spatial world in a coarse manner, it emerges with normal structure even in people who have other spatial impairments. Where spatial language encodes the spatial world in a more detailed (less coarse) manner, we observe impairments that echo the ones observed in non-linguistic tasks. Quite different outcomes underscore the fact that spatial language is a system with its own special properties, that it interfaces with (but does not copy) spatial non-linguistic systems, and that finding sparing or breakdown may depend largely on where we look.

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