ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how cognitive semantics and, in particular, Talmy’s typological framework for the expression of motion events (1985, 1991, 2000a & b) provide a fruitful basis for the investigation of how adult language learners from different native languages (L1s) come to talk about motion in a second language (L2). It is argued that this line of inquiry can make an important contribution to our understanding of the processes by which L2 learners establish form-meaning connections during second language acquisition (SLA) by: (a) focusing on a rather neglected area within SLA research, namely, the study of how adult language learners come to express spatial relations in an L2; (b) allowing for the systematic investigation of cross-linguistic influence in SLA; and (c) providing an alternative account of linguistic meaning to that commonly held within SLA research. Furthermore, it is argued that the investigation of Talmy’s typological framework within the field of SLA can shed light on the issue of linguistic relativity as formulated by Slobin’s (1996a) thinkingfor-speaking hypothesis, by examining the ease and difficulty with which adult L2 learners adapt to their thinking-for-speaking in a new language.
