The role of gaze and the semantics of demonstratives in referent selection

Crystal H. Y. Chen*, Lyn Tieu, Ana T. Pérez-Leroux

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Demonstratives (this/that) situate objects in space with the aid of gestures and a proximal-distal contrast. However, it is unclear how these cues interact to aid the listener in referent selection. The current paper presents a referent selection task where listeners choose an object out of a group of objects based on a physical and verbal cue provided by a speaker. Results indicate that listeners are sensitive to a variety of cues, but only integrate the minimum amount of information necessary for referent selection, with physical cues being prioritized over the semantic contributions of the demonstrative.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCOSIT 2024
Subtitle of host publication16th International Conference on Spatial Information Theory
EditorsBenjamin Adams, Amy L. Griffin, Simon Scheider, Grant McKenzie
Place of PublicationGermany
PublisherDagstuhl Publishing
Pages1-8
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9783959773300
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 9 Sept 2024
EventInternational Conference on Spatial Information Theory (16th : 2024) - , Canada
Duration: 17 Sept 202420 Sept 2024

Publication series

NameLeibniz International Proceedings in Informatics, LIPIcs
Volume315
ISSN (Print)1868-8969

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on Spatial Information Theory (16th : 2024)
Abbreviated titleCOSIT 2024
Country/TerritoryCanada
Period17/09/2420/09/24

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2024. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

  • deixis
  • Demonstratives
  • experimental semantics
  • gesture
  • joint attention coordination
  • proximal-distal contrast
  • referent distance
  • referent selection
  • spatial language

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