Reference frames in language and cognition: cross-population mismatches

Abstract Numerous studies have found evidence of a speech community’s referential practices in discourse being predictive its members’ behavior nonverbal tasks. In this article, we discuss series exceptions to alignment pattern, drawing on data from eleven populations Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North and Central America, Oceania. These not been discussed conjunction with one another striking commonalities across findings these gone unnoticed: (a) discourses referring small-scale space, either intrinsic frame use is dominant or both relative geocentric frames are used frequently addition frames; (b) recall/recognition memory, coding more common than egocentric (in tasks that involve stationary stimulus configurations) nine populations, while remaining two, there extensive even cognition. We light Haun’s innate geocentrism hypothesis (Haun, D. B. M., C. Rapold, J. Call, G. Janzen & S. Levinson. 2006. Cognitive cladistics cultural override hominid spatial Proceedings National Academy Sciences 103(46). 17568–17573). Our offers partial support for hypothesis, but simultaneously calls into question whether any extrinsic reference available innately.