The semantics of English prepositions: spatial scenes, embodied meaning and cognition

Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Preface......Page 11
Acknowledgements......Page 13
1 The nature of meaning......Page 15
Approaches to the representation of distinct meanings associated with a single form......Page 18
Interpretation of the utterance and the underspecification of meaning......Page 22
A ‘simple’ example: the cat jumped over the wall......Page 23
The role of background knowledge......Page 28
Dictionaries versus encyclopedias......Page 31
The conceptual nature of meaning......Page 32
Conclusion......Page 35
2 Embodied meaning and spatial experience......Page 37
Spatial relations and meaning......Page 39
Spatial scenes......Page 41
Perceptual analysis and the embodiment of meaning......Page 42
The nature of lexical representation......Page 44
Experiential correlation......Page 46
Perceptual resemblance......Page 49
Conclusion......Page 50
3 Towards a model of principled polysemy: spatial scenes and conceptualization......Page 51
The polysemy fallacy......Page 52
Methodology for determining distinct senses......Page 56
Methodology for determining the primary sense......Page 59
The proto-scene......Page 64
Ways of viewing spatial scenes......Page 67
Atemporality......Page 68
On-line meaning construction......Page 69
Inferencing strategies......Page 71
Pragmatic strengthening......Page 72
The conceptual significance of syntax......Page 75
Conclusion......Page 76
The proto-scene for over......Page 78
The on-line construction of meaning......Page 82
Beyond the proto-scene: additional senses in the semantic network......Page 92
The A-B-C Trajectory Cluster (2)......Page 94
Covering......Page 104
Above and proximal......Page 107
Reflexivity......Page 117
Conclusion......Page 120
Contrast sets......Page 121
The vertical axis......Page 123
Above versus over......Page 124
The Up Cluster (2)......Page 129
Two additional senses......Page 134
Under and below......Page 135
The Down Cluster (2)......Page 137
Two additional senses......Page 139
The semantic network for below......Page 141
Two additional senses......Page 143
Conclusion: the semantics of verticality......Page 144
6 Spatial particles of orientation......Page 146
Vertical orientation of the TR: up and down......Page 149
The proto-scene......Page 150
The Quantity Cluster for ‘up’......Page 152
The proto-scene......Page 155
The Quantity Cluster......Page 156
General orientation of the TR: to and for......Page 159
To versus for : primary versus oblique goal......Page 160
The semantics of ‘to’......Page 163
The semantics of ‘for’......Page 167
Orientation of the LM: in front of, before, behind and after......Page 168
The etymology of ‘before’......Page 170
The etymology of ‘in front of’......Page 171
The semantics of ‘in front of’: the proto-scene......Page 172
Functional orientation......Page 173
The inherently unoriented LM......Page 174
The Priority Sense......Page 176
The semantics of before: the proto-scene......Page 178
The Location Sense......Page 180
Behind and after......Page 183
The semantics of behind: the proto-scene......Page 184
Inherently non-oriented LMs......Page 185
The Lack of Priority Sense......Page 186
The semantics of after: The proto-scene......Page 187
The Sequential Sense......Page 189
Conclusion......Page 190
7 Bounded landmarks......Page 192
Spatial structure versus the functional element for in......Page 194
Partial inclusion......Page 196
The proto-scene for ‘in’......Page 197
Beyond the proto-scene......Page 199
The Location Cluster......Page 200
The Vantage Point is Interior Cluster......Page 204
The Vantage Point is Exterior Cluster......Page 208
The Segmentation Cluster......Page 210
In versus into......Page 212
The semantics of out......Page 214
Beyond the proto-scene......Page 215
The Location Cluster......Page 216
The No More Sense......Page 217
The Vantage Point is Interior Cluster......Page 218
The Vantage Point is Exterior Cluster......Page 220
Reflexivity......Page 222
The semantics for of......Page 223
Out versus out of......Page 226
Beyond the proto-scene for ‘out of’......Page 228
The proto-scene for ‘through’......Page 231
Beyond the proto-scene......Page 234
Hilferty’s ‘metaphoric’ senses of ‘through’......Page 238
Conclusion......Page 241
8 Conclusion......Page 243
Motivated systematicity......Page 245
Potential applications for second language learning and teaching......Page 248
Limitations......Page 249
References......Page 252
Index......Page 260