Grounded Cognition, Linguistic Relativity, and Abstract Concepts.

Kemmerer's paper convincingly claims that the grounded cognition model (GCM) entails linguistic relativity. Here, we underline that tackling linguistic relativity and cultural differences is vital for GCM. First, it allows GCM to focus more on flexible rather than stable aspects of cognition. Second, it highlights the centrality of linguistic experience for human cognition. While GCM‐inspired research underscored the similarity between linguistic and nonlinguistic concepts, it is now paramount to understand when and how language(s) influence knowledge. To this aim, we argue that linguistic variation might be particularly relevant for more abstract concepts—which are more debatable and open to revisions. Kemmerer argues that the grounded cognition model entails linguistic relativity. We agree with his position and suggest that this claim is particularly relevant for studying abstract concepts as they rely on language and culture more than concrete concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]