Dottorato di Ricerca in Linguistica Generale, Storica, Applicata, Computazionale e delle Lingue Moderne Cod. L-LIN/12 Tesi di dottorato: The Geometry of Fictive Motion and Location in English and Italian Candidato: Tutori: SILVIA DEMI Prof. Marcella Bertuccelli Papi Prof. Lavinia Merlini Barbaresi Presidente: Prof. Giovanna Marotta Triennio 2006-2008 1 Tables of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Chapter 1 - Spatial Conceptualization and Dimensions .......................................................................... 7 1.1. The Conceptualization of Spatiality ............................................................................................. 7 1.2. The Fundamental Spatial Dimensions .......................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2 - How Language Structures Space: The State of the Art .......................................................13 2.1. Miller and Johnson-Laird’s Semantic Model of Motion .............................................................13 2.1.1. Location ................................................................................................................................14 2.1.2. Further Prepositions: Dynamic Location .............................................................................17 2.1.3. The Complexity of Motion Verbs ........................................................................................18 2.2. “What” and “Where” in Spatial Language and Spatial Cognition ..............................................25 2.2.1. Talking about Objects ..........................................................................................................25 2.2.2. Talking about Places ............................................................................................................28 2.3. A Cognitive Approach to Spatial Language ................................................................................31 2.3.1. Cognitive Linguistics (CL) ...................................................................................................32 2.3.1.1. R. Langacker and L. Talmy ..........................................................................................33 2.3.1.2. L. Talmy’s Definition of Motion Events .......................................................................35 2.3.1.3. A New Cognitive Account of ‘Spatial Prepositions of Movement’ ..............................37 2.4. Anthropological Perspectives ......................................................................................................39 2.4.1. Topology ..............................................................................................................................40 2.4.2. Motion ..................................................................................................................................41 2.4.3. Frames of Reference .............................................................................................................46 2.4.4. Conclusions ..........................................................................................................................48 Chapter 3 - The Non-Literal Senses .......................................................................................................50 3.1. Fictive Motion in Language and L. Talmy’s “Ception”..............................................................50 3.1.1. The Linguistic Categories of Fictive Motion .......................................................................53 3.1.1.1. Emanation......................................................................................................................53 3.1.1.2. Pattern Paths ..................................................................................................................55 3.1.1.3. Frame Relative Motion ..................................................................................................55 3.1.1.4. Advent Paths .................................................................................................................56 3.1.1.5. Access Paths ..................................................................................................................56 2 3.1.1.6. Coextension Paths .........................................................................................................56 3.2. “Fictivity” vs. “Metaphoricity” ...................................................................................................57 3.2.1. Conceptual Metaphor Theory in G. Lakoff and M. Johnson ...............................................57 3.2.2. G. Fauconnier and M. Turner’s Blending Theory ................................................................58 3.2.3. The Relationship between Metaphor and General Fictivity .................................................60 3.3. Image Schemas ............................................................................................................................60 3.4. Talmy’s Lexicalization Patterns of English Verbs of Motion .....................................................64 Chapter 4 - Data and Methodology ........................................................................................................71 4.1. The Corpus ..................................................................................................................................71 4.1.1. Corpus Linguistics................................................................................................................71 4.1.2. Tourism as Specialized Discourse ........................................................................................72 4.1.3. Guidebooks as a Particular Textual Genre of Tourism Discourse .......................................75 4.2. The Data ......................................................................................................................................76 4.3. Methodology ...............................................................................................................................83 4.4.The Analysis of Verbs of Location, Change of State and Fictive Motion ...................................86 4.4.1. The Verbs’ Subjects and Objects .........................................................................................86 4.4.2. Prepositions Accompanying the Verbs ..............................................................................113 4.5. First Observations .....................................................................................................................114 Chapter 5 - Contrastive Analysis of the Geometry in the Lexical Structure of Verbs of Fictive Motion and Location .......................................................................................................................116 5.1. Spatial Imagery Evoked by Verbs of Fictive Motion and Location ..........................................116 5.2. The Lexical Structure of English and Italian Verbs ..................................................................129 5.2.1. Verbs of Location ...............................................................................................................129 5.2.1.1. Verbs of Location Lexicalizing a General Placing .....................................................130 5.2.1.2. Verbs of Location Lexicalizing a Sense of Inclusion ..................................................130 5.2.1.3. Verbs of Location Lexicalizing Reference to the Vertical Axis .................................131 5.2.1.4. Verbs of Location Lexicalizing Reference to the Horizontal Axis .............................131 5.2.1.5. Verbs of Location Lexicalizing a Sense of Traversing ...............................................131 5.2.1.6. Verbs of Location Lexicalizing a Sense of Sequencing ..............................................132 5.2.1.7. Verbs of Location Lexicalizing a Sense of Overlapping .............................................132 5.2.1.8. Verbs of Location Lexicalizing a Sense of Distribution .............................................132 5.2.1.9. Verbs of Location Lexicalizing a Sense of Connection .............................................133 5.2.2. Verbs of Change of State ...................................................................................................133 3 5.2.3. Verbs of Fictive Motion .....................................................................................................133 5.3. English vs. Italian: a Comparison .............................................................................................134 5.3.1. Verbs of Default .................................................................................................................134 5.3.2. Verbs Lexicalizing a General Placing ................................................................................135 5.3.3. Shifts from Verbs to Adjectives, Prepositions and other Periphrastic Expressions ...........137 5.3.4. Shifts between Different Kinds of Verbal Categories ........................................................139 Conclusions. Lexicalization Patterns: English vs. Italian ....................................................................146 References. ...........................................................................................................................................152 Appendix… ..........................................................................................................................................159