Classifier effects on human categorization: the role of shape classifiers in Mandarin Chinese

@article{Kuo2009ClassifierEO,
  title={Classifier effects on human categorization: the role of shape classifiers in Mandarin Chinese},
  author={Jenny Yi-chun Kuo and Maria D. Sera},
  journal={Journal of East Asian Linguistics},
  year={2009},
  volume={18},
  pages={1-19}
}
Chinese is a language that classifies nouns into groups on the basis of shape, material, and size. We asked whether the classification of nouns by shape affects the degree to which Chinese speakers rely on shape when classifying objects. Three experiments examined the degree to which Chinese- and English-speaking adults rely on shape versus taxonomic or functional similarity in a classification task. Across all three experiments, Chinese speakers made significantly more shape choices than… Expand
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It is suggested that classifiers do not serve the same function as taxonomic categories and that their semantic function may be limited, while Chinese speakers classified objects preferably by shape, which is the predominant semantics of Chinese classifiers. Expand
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  • H. Gao
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  • Nordic Journal of Linguistics
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Chinese noun classifiers are an obligatory category associated with nouns. Studies have shown that achieving a full understanding and good mastery of Chinese noun classifiers is difficult for both… Expand
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Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: This article examines the classifier effect on categorization among advanced Chinese as a second language (CSL) learners. More specifically, it aims to… Expand
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The results supported the hypothesized primacy effect of native-language word order such that nouns generally carried more weight for Portuguese speakers than for English speakers, and the implications of such linguistic effects for the cognition of similarity and memory are discussed. Expand
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