Spatial Language: Perceptual Constraints and Linguistic Variation

We offer this chapter as a tribute to Jean Mandler. Her thinking has inspired each of us separately, and has also animated our collaboration. This chapter is the product of that collaboration, and it springs ultimately from one of her arguments, concerning the relation of language and thought. Following Jean, we argue for a nonlinguistic basis for some of the semantic structures of language. We hope, Jean, that you will find in this chapter a reflection of some of your own ideas, and a measure of our intellectual indebtedness to you.