The phenomenology of signification: An inquiry into spatial perception and its influence on language.

Language involves the simultaneous interpretation of its so-called spatial and temporal axes: paradigmatic and syntagmatic relations. This simultaneity is reminiscent of spatial perception insofar as spatial relations are perceived relative to the observer's perspective, which emerges from the very same space that is being observed. Spatial relations are commonly used as conceptual metaphors for non-spatial relations, such as mood, social status, time, etc. However, the 'spatial' and 'temporal' axes in language are ontological, rather than metaphorical; meaning that language actually emerged from spatial perception.

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