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People assume that objects labelled alike belong to the same category. Here we asked whether the role of labels in categorization depends on individuals’ language experience, linguistic abilities, and/or cognitive abilities. We compared monolinguals’ and bilinguals’ use of phonologically licit words (zeg), illicit words (gsz), and non-linguistic frames (in addition to a baseline condition with no additional cues) in forming novel categories. For both groups, licit words affected categorization more than frames, especially in the absence of perceptual evidence for category boundaries; illicit words also shifted categorization preferences compared to frames. Furthermore, linguistic abilities predicted reliance on both licit and illicit words, and bilingualism predicted reliance on illicit words in categorization. Thus, in both monolinguals and bilinguals, novel (and even unconventional) linguistic labels act as unique category markers but their use in categorization depends on individual language processing skills (and, in some cases, exposure to a second language).
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This content will become publicly available on September 15, 2025
What is conceptual engineering good for? The argument from nameability
It is often assumed that how we talk about the world matters a great deal. This is one reason why conceptual engineers seek to improve our linguistic practices by advocating novel uses of our words, or by inventing new ones altogether. A core idea shared by conceptual engineers is that by changing our language in this way, we can reap all sorts of cognitive and practical benefits, such as improving our theorizing, combating hermeneutical injustice, or promoting social emancipation. But how do changes at the linguistic level translate into any of these worthwhile benefits? In this paper, we propose the nameability account as a novel answer to this question. More specifically, we argue that what linguistic resources are readily available to us directly affects our cognitive performance on various categorization‐related tasks. Consequently, our performance on such tasks can be improved by making controlled changes to our linguistic resources. We argue that this account supports and extends recent motivations for conceptual engineering, as categorization plays an important role in both theoretical and practical contexts.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2020969
- PAR ID:
- 10548143
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Philosophy and Phenomenological Research
- ISSN:
- 0031-8205
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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