Linguistic perspectives on outer space

Abstract: 
In this presentation, Kajsa Törmä discusses how outer space is construed and conceptualized in language, drawing on her recently completed PhD project in Cognitive Linguistics. While outer space is physically inaccessible for most, it is nonetheless made meaningful through language, culture, and imagination. The presentation highlights key findings from five empirical studies examining how space is talked about in American English. Through analyses of motion verbs, compound nouns, prepositions, and metaphors, the thesis shows how space is understood through embodied experience, familiar conceptual patterns, and cultural frames. The results reveal that space is construed as a site of purposeful human activity, often shaped by narratives of exploration, control, and national identity. Taken together, the findings demonstrate how language plays a central role in shaping how people think about space, and how linguistic evidence can contribute to broader conversations within the space humanities.