The Polysemy and Hyponymy of Mandarin Spatial Prepositions and Localisers: Building Semantic Maps from the Ground up

The goal of this paper is to offer an overview of polysemy patterns in Mandarin’s chief spatial categories: prepositions (e.g., zai) and simple and compound localisers (respectively, qian and qian-mian). The paper presents data from an elicitation study that shows how speakers can access multiple senses and hyponymy relations for the vocabulary items belonging to these categories. The paper shows that while prepositions can potentially cover different spatial relations in the opportune context (e.g., zai “at”), localisers select increasingly specific senses (e.g., qian “front” and qian-mian “front side”). The paper also shows how speakers can access hyponym-like sense relations emerging from these patterns (e.g., qian-bian covering a more specific sense than qian). Semantic dimensions such as “distance” and “location type” determine the strength of these hyponymy relations. The paper offers an account of these data based on the “semantics maps” model, which captures polysemy and hyponymy patterns via the clusters of locations they refer to. It is shown that this novel model is consistent with previous works on the polysemy of spatial categories and sheds light on how Mandarin offers a unique organisation of this domain.

What’s “up”? Impaired Spatial Preposition Processing in Posterior Cortical Atrophy

This study seeks to confirm whether lesions in posterior regions of the brain involved in visuo-spatial processing are of functional relevance to the processing of words with spatial meaning. We investigated whether patients with Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA), an atypical form of Alzheimer’s Disease which predominantly affects parieto-occipital brain regions, is associated with deficits in working memory for spatial prepositions. Case series of patients with PCA and matched healthy controls performed tests of immediate and delayed serial recall on words from three lexico-semantic word categories: number words (twelve), spatial prepositions (behind) and function words (e.g., shall). The three word categories were closely matched for a number of psycholinguistic and semantic variables including length, bi-/tri-gram frequency, word frequency, valence and arousal. Relative to controls, memory performance of PCA patients on short word lists was significantly impaired on spatial prepositions in the delayed serial recall task. These results suggest that lesions in posterior parieto-occipital regions specifically impair the processing of spatial prepositions. Our findings point to a pertinent role of posterior cortical regions in the semantic processing of words with spatial meaning and provide strong support for modality-specific semantic theories that recognize the necessary contributions of sensorimotor regions to conceptual semantic processing.

Semantic Components of the Russian Preposition “Через” in Combination With Different Locums and its Expression in the Persian Language

In the Russian language the preposition “cherez (through)” is used in its typical contexts to refer to spatial characteristics in which an action or movement takes place. However, there are cases in the Persian language when there is no clear boundary among the spatial prepositions corresponding to the preposition “cherez (through)”, which causes difculty for Iranian learners to choose the correct one. At the same time one and the same Persian preposition can be expressed by different Russian prepositions which lead to regular mistakes in the speech of Iranian students. Tus, for instance, Iranian students use the preposition “az miyan-e” / (among) in the meaning of the Russian prepositions “cherez” (through), “mezhdu”, “ckvoz” (within) and “iz” (from), although these prepositions are different in meaning and function. In this article, the locations used in combination with the preposition “through” are systematically classifed to explain their specifc features. In addition, the ways of expressing the spatial meanings of the preposition “through” in the Persian language are addressed in order to raise Iranian learners’ awareness of possible mistakes. Te novelty of the article is in the attempt to compare semantic and spatial features of the Russian preposition “cherez (through)” with its correlates in the Persian language. Te fndings of this study can be of interest to RFL teachers, in particular in Iran, as they will highlight common mistakes in the speech of Iranian learners when using the preposition “through”, and to RFL textbook developers.

Spatial Parametrization as a Basis of Conceptual Metaphor In the Language of W. Shakespeare

В статье рассматривается когнитивная основа формирования пространственной метафоры в языке У. Шекспира. Исходя из накопленного опыта в изучении категоризации, концептуализации и вербализации пространства описаны возможные способы интерпретации пространственных (ориентационных) метафор, передаваемых предложными конструкциями. Пространственная параметризация человеком окружающего мира, его первичный опыт взаимодействия с окружающим миром рассматриваются как когнитивная основа для формирования универсальных когнитивных моделей, лежащих в основе пространственных метафор. Модели, репрезентирующие физическое пространство, легко переходят в ментальные пространства, передавая разнообразные абстрактные отношения, что и происходит, в частности, при создании пространственной метафоры. Многочисленные примеры доказывают, что явление метафорического переосмысления пространственных предлогов отнюдь не редко у Шекспира, а, напротив, является отражением его индивидуального мировосприятия, которое в конечном итоге отражается и в неповторимости стиля. Образность и экспрессивность, порождаемые пространственной метафорой, как правило, создают проблемы при переводе, поскольку иной язык накладывает определенные ограничения на буквальное воссоздание авторского образа. В случае с пространственными метафорами замена когнитивной модели (базового образа) не столь существенна по сравнению с полной утратой метафоричности, что значительно снижает экспрессивность в целом. The article discusses the cognitive base of spatial metaphors in the language of W. Shakespeare. Relying on the accumulated experience in the study of categorization, conceptualization and verbalization of space, the author suggests ways of interpreting spatial (orientational) metaphors conveyed by prepositional constructions. Man’s spatial parametrization of the surrounding world, his primary experience in interacting with the environment is regarded as a cognitive base of universal cognitive models which underlie spatial metaphors. Models representing physical space easily pass into mental spaces, conveying various abstract relations, which happens when a spatial metaphor appears. Numerous examples prove that metaphorical use of spatial prepositions is by no means rare in Shakespearean texts. On the contrary, is arises from his individual perception of the world, which ultimately results in the uniqueness of style. Figurativeness and expressiveness generated by spatial metaphor is a challenge in translation, since another language imposes certain restrictions on literal ‘verbal imitation’ of the author's image. As for spatial metaphors, а change of their cognitive model (base image) is a more acceptable loss as compared to the loss of figurativeness, which crucially reduces expressiveness.

Region Prepositions: The View from French

The goal of this article is to offer a formal account of region prepositions in French. We define region prepositions as prepositions that denote non-oriented locations and resist modification with measure phrases (e.g.,au nez dein#dix metres au nez de l'avion‘ten meters from (in front of) the tip of the airplane’). We show that region prepositions may involve items that include inflected markers or items involving “bare” markers (au bord de‘at the edge of’ vs.à droite de‘to the right of’). We analyze the relation between structure and semantic type to show that this distribution stems from the morpho-syntactic properties of their “internal location nouns” (e.g.,nez,bord, droite, sommet). We offer a feature-driven analysis of these prepositions that hinges on a Lexical Syntax account and can capture all of the relevant data in a unified perspective. We conclude by discussing some theoretical consequences for accounts of spatial prepositions.

Imagination in Autism: A Chance to Improve Early Language Therapy

Children with autism often have difficulties in imaginative play, Theory of Mind, and playing out different scenarios in their minds. Research shows that the root of these problems may be the voluntary imagination network that involves the lateral prefrontal cortex and its long frontoposterior connections to the temporal-parietal-occipital area. Previously disconnected visuospatial issues (stimulus overselectivity and tunnel vision) and language issues (lack of comprehension of spatial prepositions and complex recursive sentences) may be explained by the same voluntary imagination deficit. This review highlights the new insights into the mechanism of voluntary imagination, its difference from involuntary imagination, and its unusually strong critical period. Clearer developmental terminology and a better understanding of voluntary imagination have the potential to facilitate communication between therapists and parents, and improve therapy outcomes in children.

The category of space in the genre of essay (based on the essays Of V. M. Peskov)

The subject of this research is the category of space – one of the intrinsic text categories that implies the meaning of location and spatial relations, and fulfills a plot-composing and semantic function. Essay is a peculiar genre, at the intersection documentary and fiction styles, which is an important factor affecting the analysis of the category of space. Examination of the category of space in essays is one of the relevant trends in linguistics. Essays of the prominent Soviet writer, photographer and journalist V. M. Peskov, which were recognized as the exemplary, serve as the material for this research. The categorical-textual approach towards studying V. M. Peskov's essays allowed determining the nuances of explication of the category of space in the genre of essay. Analysis of the specificity of the category of space in the genre of essay indicates the existence of objective and subjective space; namely the objective space holds the key place and plays a crucial role in text of the essay. In explication of the category of space are applied the direct spatial signifiers (spatial prepositions and toponyms), and indirect spatial signifiers. Texts of the essay simultaneously contain static and dynamic spaces: the author creates a static picture using existential verbs and statistical verbs of spatial location; the author describes local dynamics using the verbs of movement. The category of space is closely connected with the category of time and the category of theme; together they create a precise semantic division in accordance with the author's idea, as well help to give detailed description to the event and portray the character of the hero.

Implicit cognitive meanings of the spatial prepositions in, on, and at in English

Learning English prepositions is deemed as a difficult task for EFL learners (Cheng, 2006) because some English prepositions have many similar but slightly different meanings (Boers & Demecheleer, 1998; Radden, 1985). EFL leaners face difficulty in using English prepositions because they may only learn the linguistic forms but not the conceptual meanings embedded in prepositions. The purpose of this research is to investigate English spatial prepositions in, on, and at from a cognitive perspective, e.g. the theory of conceptual metaphor (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980) and cognitive grammar (Langacker, 2008). The investigation of the present study was mainly done with document analysis (Bowen, 2009; O’Leary, 2014). After reviewing many primary and previous studies (Dikken, 1995; Freeborn, 1987; Lindstromberg, 1996, 2010; Nishimura, 2005; Radden, 1985), the findings show that English prepositions in, on, and at have not only their prototypical meanings but also implicit meanings, which may be extended by metaphors. It is also found that there is an intimate relationship between the spatial and temporal meanings of prepositions. Besides, the prototypical meanings of in, on, and at can be the foundation to learn other spatial or temporal concepts. Therefore, it is suggested that understanding metaphors and the implicit meanings embedded in prepositions can help EFL students’ learning of English language.