A Comparative Analysis of Locative and Directional Motion Events in English and Arabic

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Ikbal Zeddari
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Motion Verbs ◽  
Parametric Approach ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Motion Events ◽  
Directional Motion ◽  
Motion Constructions ◽  
Crosslinguistic Variation

<p>This paper provides a contrastive analysis of locative and directional motion events in English and Arabic. Within a micro‑parametric approach to crosslinguistic variation, it argues that both languages encode the distinction between manner and direction in their inventory of motion verbs. In the prepositional domain, purely locative and directional prepositions are shown to exist in the two languages; they respectively derive locative and directional interpretations with manner of motion verbs. The class of ambiguous prepositions, which gives rise to both locative and directional interpretations, is shown to be distinctive of English. Implications of this contrastive analysis to the bidirectional acquisition of English and Arabic locative and directional motion constructions are discussed.</p>

scholarly journals MOTION VERBS IN PERSIAN AND ENGLISH: A FRAMENET-BASED CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS

2021 ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Zolfa Imani ◽  
Rezvan Motavalian Naeini
Keyword(s):  
Motion Verbs ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Motion Events ◽  
English Sentence ◽  
Semantic Frames ◽  
Animal Farm ◽  
Persian Translation ◽  
English Verb ◽  
English Equivalent

The current research aims at exploring and comparing the semantic frames of motion verbs in English and Persian. In pursuit of this goal, the novel Animal farm by G. Orwell (1945) was selected and compared with its Persian translation, Qale heyvanat (Atefi, 2010). The sentences including motion verbs were primarily extracted from the novel and then a comparison was made between each English sentence and its Persian counterpart. Afterwards, the semantic frames of the English and Persian motion verbs were obtained from the FrameNet database. It should be noted that when the motion verbs in English had an equivalent which could be interpreted in a different way in Persian, the Persian verb was searched for in one of the most reliable Persian to English dictionaries—Persian to English Dictionary (Aryanpur and Aryanpur, 2007). We searched for its English equivalent and then the newly obtained English verb was searched in FrameNet for the semantic frame. When comparing the semantic frames of the motion verbs in the two languages examined, we concluded that motion events in English and Persian were expressed through miscellaneous motion verbs each of which involves a semantic frame peculiar to it. Likewise, the frames may be similar or different cross-linguistically in case of semantic differences, or they might be pragmatically similar.

Language typology, task complexity and the development of L2 lexicalization patterns for describing motion events

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 245-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Cadierno ◽  
Peter Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Motion Events ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Language Typology ◽  
Linguistic Study ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Thinking For Speaking ◽  
Ways Of Thinking ◽  
Motion Constructions

The present paper focuses on the acquisition of L2 constructions for the expression of motion from a typological (Cadierno, 2008; Talmy, 1985, 1991, 2000) and a psycholinguistic perspective with implications for pedagogy (Robinson, 2003a, 2007; Robinson & Gilabert, 2007a, 2007b). Specifically, we report the results of a cross-linguistic study which examined the extent to which the manipulation of pedagogic tasks in terms of cognitive complexity can facilitate the development of target-like lexicalization patterns and appropriate L2 ways of thinking-for-speaking for the expression of motion by adult L2 learners with typologically similar and typologically different L1s and L2s, i.e., Danish vs. Japanese L1 learners of English. The results of the study show that level of L2 proficiency, assessed using a cloze test, predicts more target-like reference to L2 motion across both L1 groups. Typological similarity between the L1 (Danish) and L2 (English) results in greater use of motion constructions incorporating mention of ground of motion compared to their use by Japanese L1 speakers. More cognitively complex tasks lead to production of more target-like lexicalization patterns, but also only for speakers of the typologically similar L1, Danish.

Going beyond motion events typology: The case of Basque as a verb-framed language

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iraide Ibarretxe-Antuñano
Keyword(s):  
Motion Verbs ◽  
High Tolerance ◽  
Motion Events ◽  
Lexical Resources ◽  
Language Typology ◽  
Written Narratives ◽  
Motion Event ◽  
New Information ◽  
Different Types

AbstractThe concept of motion is present in all the world’s languages. However, the ways in which speakers of different languages codify motion do not seem to be so universal. Languages offer different types of structures to express motion, and speakers pay attention to different elements within the motion event. The goal of this paper is to examine in great detail how motion events are described and expressed in Basque oral and written narratives. This study focuses on three main areas: motion verbs, elaboration of Manner and elaboration of Path. Although Basque can be classified in Talmy’s terms as a verb-framed language, it is argued that it is not a prototypical example of this group with respect to the lexicalisation of Path. Unlike other verb-framed languages, the description of Path in Basque motion events is very frequent and detailed, not only in situations when it adds new information, but also in pleonastic cases. This characteristic seems to be related to Basque’s rich lexical resources for motion and space, as well as to its high tolerance for verb omission. On the basis of these data, the scope of Talmy’s binary typology is questioned. It is suggested that the verb- and satellite-framed language typology should be revised in order to account for these intra-typological differences.

THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOMATIC PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS WITH КЬИЛ / ГОЛОВА / HEAD IN THE LEZGIN, RUSSIAN AND ENGLISH LANGUAGES

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 24-29
Author(s):  
FATIMA B. VERDIKHANOVA ◽  
◽  
GULNARA SH. PAVLOVA ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Core Component ◽  
The Core ◽  
Semantic Fields

The object of the contrastive analysis in this article is the group of Lezgin, Russian and English phraseological (somatic) units with the component кьил/голова/head. The analysis aims at identifying the universal and specific issues in their contentits characteristic semantic fields, correlation of the general phraseological value with the core component, structural and grammatical features. In the process of the study we have used the method of comparative analysis of Lezgin, Russian and English phraseological units selected by us from foreign and domestic lexicographic sources. As the result of the analysis we have found that there was a similarity in structure, imagery and stylistic coloration of phraseological units. The peculiar characteristics of the studied languages in phraseological units were carried out. This work can serve as a material for further research in the field of phraseology whether the question of education plays an important role in the life of society.

Motion Verbs in Japanese

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yo Matsumoto
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Motion Verbs ◽  
Motion Events ◽  
Japanese Speakers ◽  
Main Verb ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Manner Verbs

Japanese is a language rich in verbs representing Path of motion, but it also has verbs representing Manner and Deixis. Examining how they are used can deepen our understanding of some of the interesting properties of the Japanese language. In typological literature on motion events descriptions, Japanese has been claimed to be the type of language in which Path is expressed in the main verb position rather than elsewhere in the sentence, with the use of a path verb. However, this view must be qualified in two ways. First, the language exhibits intralinguistic variation, using postpositions and other nonverbal elements to represent Path notions such as FROM, TO, and ALONG. Second, Path is expressed in the main verb position only when Deixis is absent from the sentence. One feature of manner verbs in Japanese is that they are not used very often, especially concerning walking events. This phenomenon is accounted for by the “cost” of expressing Manner in Japanese. Another property of manner verbs in Japanese is they are incompatible with a goal phrase, which has been previously accounted for in different ways. A close semantic examination of manner verbs suggests that this restriction can be attributed to the nature of goal marking, rather than the semantics of manner verbs. An examination of corpus and experimental data also reveals how Japanese speakers use deictic verbs. Deictic motion verbs are used very frequently, though this tendency is not observed in descriptions of the motion of inanimate entities. Finally, deictic verbs in Japanese are sensitive to the notion of the speaker’s interactional space or territory, not just restricted by the spatial location of the speaker.

Verb Class-Specific Caused-Motion Constructions

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaorong Xia
Keyword(s):  
Motion Verbs ◽  
Conceptual Representation ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
The Senses ◽  
Motion Constructions

AbstractIn a constructional approach, the caused-motion construction is productive enough to attract verbs of different types into the construction; however, the distinct senses derived from actual instances indicate it is necessary to posit the caused-motion construction at lower levels because more novel uses present meanings closer to those lower constructions. The present analysis of the corpus data of English motion verbs shows that the senses of manner of caused-motion, manner of causing motion, and accompanied motion arise from their occurrences in the caused-motion construction. From a usage-based perspective, the entrenched use would yield verb class-specific constructions that are productive as well. The lower level of construction, together with the most schematic one, is stored in our memory as part of conceptual representation. The research indicates that creative use of motion verbs in the caused-motion construction is better interpreted with verb class-specific constructions.

scholarly journals Verbal prefixes in Russian: Conceptual structure versus syntax

2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
INNA K. TOLSKAYA
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Structure ◽  
Motion Verbs ◽  
Object A ◽  
Verbal Prefixes ◽  
Verbs Of Motion ◽  
Directional Motion ◽  
Motion Verb ◽  
Syntactic Properties ◽  
Structure Versus ◽  
Conceptual Meaning

At first glance, the variety of possible denotations of a given prefix in Russian might appear a chaotic set of idiomatic meanings, e.g. the prefix za- may refer to the beginning of an action, movement to a position behind an object, a brief deviation from a path, or completion of an action. I propose a unified analysis of Russian prefixes, where the differences in meaning are claimed to arise from different syntactic positions, while the lexical entry of a prefix remains the same. The main focus is on the verbs of motion due to the consistent duality displayed by the prefix meanings when added to directional and non-directional motion verbs. It turns out that prefixes modify path when added onto a directional motion verb and refer to movement in time with non-directional motion verbs. This semantic distinction corresponds to distinct sets of syntactic properties, characteristic of the lexical and superlexical prefixes. Furthermore, a tripartite division emerges in each set of prefixes, corresponding to goal, source and route of motion (TO, FROM, VIA, respectively) for lexical prefixes and to beginning, completion and duration for superlexical prefixes. This leads to the suggestion that the same prefix with a consistent conceptual meaning, shared with the corresponding preposition receives part of its denotation from its position in the syntactic representation. The separation of conceptual meaning from the structural meaning allows the polysemy to arise from position, rather than from arbitrary homophony. Thus, conceptual structure is unified with syntax.

scholarly journals Motion in Tswana and its characteristic lexicalization

1985 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald P. Schaefer
Keyword(s):  
Natural Language ◽  
Moving Object ◽  
Main Clause ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Motion Events ◽  
Complex Motion ◽  
Bantu Language ◽  
Directional Motion

Characteristic patterns for the lexicalization of motion in Tswana, a Southeastern Bantu language, are explored. Examination of constraints governing classes of verb roots referring to motion events reveals two of the typological patterns put forward by Talmy [1984] for the lexicalization of motion in natural language. The distinguishing feature of each pattern lies in the particular semantic elements incorporated in a main clause verb root. The fact of Motion and Manner/Cause are incorporated in the verb root when lexicalizing complex location-motion events. However, when lexicalizing complex motion events of a directional nature, as well as both locational- and directional- motion events of a less complex nature, the verb root incorporates the fact of Motion and the Path which a moving object takes.

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