motionalgrammaticality

Motionalgrammaticality is a linguistic concept that explores the relationship between the physical movement or gesture associated with an utterance and its perceived grammatical correctness. It suggests that the way a sentence is spoken, including intonation, rhythm, and accompanying gestures, can influence how readily listeners accept it as grammatically valid. This idea draws on the understanding that language is not solely an abstract system but is also grounded in embodied cognition.

The concept posits that certain grammatical structures might feel more "natural" or "right" when produced with specific motor patterns or prosodic contours. Conversely, deviations from these expected patterns, even if technically grammatical, might lead to a perception of awkwardness or incorrectness. This is not to say that a sentence is grammatically incorrect if it doesn't "feel" right, but rather that the physical manifestation of language can play a role in our intuitive judgments about its structure.

Motionalgrammaticality is studied in fields like psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics, aiming to understand the cognitive processes underlying language comprehension and production. Researchers investigate how the brain integrates auditory and motor information when processing language, and how this integration contributes to our understanding of grammar. It highlights the interconnectedness of our physical and linguistic capabilities in making sense of spoken communication.