Preparation for Situated Action
http://psychology.emory.edu/cognition/barsalou/papers/Barsalou_DP_1999_situated_comprehension.pdf
This is what Stephen and I were discussing a while back - but it neatly
names the alternative approaches to language. Most AGI language
comprehension treats it as if it's all about "archival memory" - and so has
most cognitive linguistics until recently. Treat it as"preparation for
situated action," which is what it has to be, first and foremost, and you
start to realise that imaginative simulation of language is a necessity for
understanding.
When you treat language as if it's all "archival:"
"John kicked Jim."
"Big countries like kicking small countries"
you can get away v. temporarily with the delusion that comprehension need
not involve simulation, since the detailed specifics of scenes and actions
may not be important. You need only know v.generally that some such things
can happen.
When you treat language as for action -
"Go and kick John "[in the next room]
"Fancy kicking the ball around?"
the delusion soon becomes apparent - along with the total impossibility of
purely symbolic/verbal processing. You have to imaginatively simulate the
action in a given environment to see if it is viable (although this may
well, of course, all be unconscious).
-------------------------------------------
agi
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