Ünal, ErcenurRichards, C.Trueswell, J. C.Papafragou, A.2023-04-042023-04-042021-111363-755Xhttp://hdl.handle.net/10679/8101https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13116Although it is widely assumed that the linguistic description of events is based on a structured representation of event components at the perceptual/conceptual level, little empirical work has tested this assumption directly. Here, we test the connection between language and perception/cognition cross-linguistically, focusing on the relative salience of causative event components in language and cognition. We draw on evidence from preschoolers speaking English or Turkish. In a picture description task, Turkish-speaking 3-5-year-olds mentioned Agents less than their English-speaking peers (Turkish allows subject drop); furthermore, both language groups mentioned Patients more frequently than Goals, and Instruments less frequently than either Patients or Goals. In a change blindness task, both language groups were equally accurate at detecting changes to Agents (despite surface differences in Agent mentions). The remaining components also behaved similarly: both language groups were less accurate in detecting changes to Instruments than either Patients or Goals (even though Turkish-speaking preschoolers were less accurate overall than their English-speaking peers). To our knowledge, this is the first study offering evidence for a strong—even though not strict—homology between linguistic and conceptual event roles in young learners cross-linguistically.enginfo:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccessArticle24600064743030000110.1111/desc.13116Causative eventsChange blindnessCross-linguistic differencesEvent cognitionEvent perceptionThematic roles2-s2.0-85105673777