Speaker: Dorota Gaskins, Research Fellow, King's College London

Dorota is a postdoctoral research fellow at King’s College London and her current project examines children’s acquisition of metaphors, both in monolingual and bilingual contexts.

Title: “What can child speech reveal about early metaphor knowledge?”

Abstract:

To date, metaphor research has focused largely on the use of figurativity in adults, with less emphasis on young children. As a result, the bulk of knowledge about metaphor acquisition, especially that about early metaphor production, remains philosophically rather than empirically grounded. I propose a method for the analysis of conventional metaphors emerging in child language which is designed to test the current theories of metaphor acquisition. On the one hand, it helps to identify perceptual metaphors which are (at least in theory) sensitive to linguistic, contextual, and cultural input, such as those rooted in perceptual similarity. These metaphors are expected to be mainly quantitatively governed, being driven by linguistic exposure, i.e., input from caregivers and eventually the child’s own emerging linguistic resources. On the other hand, it helps to identify metaphors which (at least in theory) emerge irrespective of linguistic input, such as conceptual metaphors. These metaphors are theorised to be qualitatively sensitive and driven by sensimotor experiences which start to play a role before the onset of speech. By putting input centre stage, I invite analyses which will allow me to determine the extent to which both theories are accurate in their predictions about the role of child-directed speech in early metaphor development. I also demonstrate the metaphors unearthed in the speech of a child studied between the ages of 2;0-3;1.

Email Mingtong LiLink opens in a new window for Teams link.

Schedule of talks for this term

Promotion to Senior Teaching Fellow/Senior Research Fellow/Associate Professor

Wednesday 9 November - Online, MS Teams

1-1:45pm - WIE led workshop focusing on the criteria for impact, outreach and engagement

2-2:45pm - WIHEA led workshop focusing on the criteria for research and scholarship, teaching and learning, and collegiality, leadership and management

On Wednesday the 9th of November, from 14:30 - 16:00, we will host a virtual event titled ‘What are former Warwick Psychology PhD students doing now?’. During this event, we will hear from three former Warwick Psychology PhD students who are employed in a variety of roles. Each speaker will tell us about their experience with the job market and their career journey so far. Each speaker will also be invited to reflect on ‘things they know now but wish they knew when they finished their PhD’ and share some ‘words of wisdom’ with the current PGR cohort. There will be time reserved to ask each speaker questions about their career journey. We will also reserve some time at the end of the event for the current PGR cohort to engage in discussion with all speakers. Please do come along if you would like to find out more about the job prospects after a PhD, and if you would like to gain valuable insights from former Warwick PhD students who have started a successful career since graduation.

If you would like to attend the event, then please submit the form linked by 12:00 noon, Tuesday 8th November to be sent the Teams link. Hope to see you all there!

Information Session: Wednesday 9 November, 3-4pm, Oculus - OC1.07 and Streamed via MS Teams

What is Rolling Resonate?

Over the Autumn and Spring terms, a group of researchers will be invited to take part in the development of the first batch of Rolling Resonate demonstrators. A mini museum on wheels, these engagement pieces will consist of demonstrations, hands on practical activities and talking pieces, designed for public spaces such as shopping centres, museums and parks.
We are looking for staff and students who would like an opportunity to share their work with the public in a new and innovative way, and will be holding an online information session for anyone who would like to find out more.

After the information session, if you choose to continue, there will be three half day workshops lead by the WIE to help you design, build, and test your Rolling Resonate, and training and support will be available throughout the process – no design experience necessary!

How can I sign up?

Come along to this session, either in person or online, to find out more about the scheme, what's involved and what's in it for you. You can also email wie@warwick.ac.uk to express your interest and chat to a member of the team about how it might work for you. We'll be inviting a group of researchers to formally take part and funding the development of their activity.