1. Linguistic Category Model
The starting point

2. Try to describe the event

3. A kicks B
A hurts B
A hates B
A is aggressive

4. Linguistic categories
A kicks B (Descriptive Action Verbs) 1
A hurts B (Interpretative Action Verbs) 2
A hates B (State Verbs) 3
A is aggressive (Adjectives) 4

5. 2 DAV * 1 = 2
1 IAV * 2 = 2
3 SV *3 = 9
1 adj *4 = 4
17/8

6. Coenen, L. , Hedebouw, L. , & Semin, G. R. (2006)
Coenen, L., Hedebouw, L., & Semin, G. R. (2006). Measuring language abstraction: The Linguistic Category Model (LCM). Retrieved April2007, from

7. Linguistic Categories: Classification Criteria
DAV
Reference to one particular activity and to physically invariant features
Action has a clear beginning and end
Valence dependent on context

8. Linguistic Categories: Classification Criteria
IAV
Reference to multitude of behaviors
Defined action with beginning and end
Valence dependent on semantic

9. Linguistic Categories: Classification CriteriaSV
Reference to mental and emotional state
No clear definition of beginning and end
Do not readily take progressive forms
Not freely used in imperatives

10. Linguistic Categories: Classification Criteria
Adjectives
Characteristic or feature of a person
Qualification of object, situation, or act

11. Linguistic Categories: psychological properties

12. Linguistic Categories: psychological properties
Enduringness
Generalization
Subject informativeness
Situative informativeness
Verifiability
Disputability

13. Linguistic Categories: psychological properties
enduringness
generalization
Subject
Situation
verifiability
disputability
DAV
IAV SV
ADJ

14. Linguistic Categories Model: Is it a continuum?
Random selection of :
DAV ISV SV ADJ
Presenting participants with short sentences (A kisses B)

15. Continuum?
(a) How revealing is the attribute (action) about the subject of the sentence? (subject informativeness)
(b) How enduring a quality does the attribute (action) in this sentence express about the subject? (endurability)
(c) To what extent can the content of the above statement be objectively verified? (verifiability),
(d) If the above statement were mentioned by someone, how likely is it that it could potentially lead to disagreement? (disputability)
(e) How much does the above sentence reveal about a specific and concrete situation in which the subject is? (situative informativeness)

16. Continuum? Discriminant Anlayses on participants’ ratings
4 categories that mirrored the LCM
Few words mismatched
Linear Increasing

17. Results

18. Linguistic Categories: psychological properties
enduringness
generalization
Subject
Situation
verifiability
disputability
DAV
IAV SV
ADJ

19. Linguistic Categories: psychological properties
DAV IAV SV ADJ
Concrete Abstract