Classroom:NTNU, LING1113 (2009) - Motion and Space

Definitions

Spatial concepts

Spatial concepts are in essence relations between two or more instances. Whenever you make a statment about the location of an object, you state the location relative to another object. While you can claim that an object is inside another object, you cannot claim that it is inside, but not of another object.

The object whose location you make a statement about is called the located object, while the other object, which you compare the location of the located object with, is called the reference object.

Locations

Topological locations

Coincidence:

-The located object is in contact with the reference object.

Interiority:

-The located object is included or contained in the reference object.

Exteriority:

-In both of the following examples the car is located in an exterior space. The difference between the two phrases is, that when exterior in general is denoted, we need one preposition in Danish; 'udenfor'. If a reference object is present in the construction, the preposition 'udenfor' must be devided into 'uden' and 'for'.

Bilen holder udenfor.

“The car is standing outside. The car is parked outside.”

Bilen
bil	en
carSBJ	theDEFSG
N

holder

holder

holdPRES

Vitr

udenfor

udenfor

outside

PREP

Bilen holder uden for huset.

“The car stands outside the house. The car is parked outside the house.”

Bilen
bil	en
carSBJ	theDEFSG
N

holder

holder

holdPRES

Vitr

uden
ude	n
out	-
PREP

for

for

of

PREP

huset
hus	et
houseOBL	theDEFSG
N

Projective locations

Inferiority

Superiority:

-The located object is located over the reference object.

Anteriority

Posteriority

Laterality

Deixis

Reference point

Remoteness

Direction

Events

Motion

Theme/Figure

Source

Goal

Location

Path

Figure

Ground

Trajectory

Conveyance

Manner

Cause

Prepositions

ovenfor

The preposition ovenfor is used to indicate that the relation between the located object and the reference object is one of superiority, but not of coincidence.

In simpler terms: Object1 is ovenfor another object if it is located over that object - that is higher than it and in the space above it - but not if Object1 is touching the other object.

på grunn av

Something is rotten in the state of Norwegian Prepositions. Check-check-check it out!

Examples:

'På fest', 'på byen', 'på bussen', 'på reisefot', 'på gang', 'på flaska', 'på tur', 'på shopping' etc

There are also many situations that can be described by several prepositions, but have small differences in semantic nuances.

Examples:

'I byen' vs. 'På byen'

'I fjellet' vs. 'På fjellet'

'På bussen' vs. 'I bussen'

while some have completely different meanings

Examples:

I flaska

“In the bottle”

I

i

In

PREP

flaska
flask	a
bottle	DEFSGFEM
N

vs.

På flaska

“Drinking heavily”

På

på

At

PREP

flaska
flask	a
bottle	DEFSGFEM
N

Bevegelsesverb

English - Motion verbs

This category of verbs denote movement, and these movements can be divided into subcategories.

In order to denote movement, we can use either a movement verb or a verb with a preposition. The latter is another story, and you can read about it in the page called 'Preposisjoner'. The scope of the 'Bevegelsesverb' page is to describe verbs denoting -by themselves - some kind of movement.

The following paragraphs suggest how we can divide motion verbs into subcategories:

- The movement can be done voluntarily or nonvoluntarily by the subject of the Pn-S.

- Does the movement denoted have a goal, a path or both? Or is the movement taking place a a spot?

- Come up with more as you desire...

Motion verbs:

  Gå, springe/løpe, dra/fare, komme, svømme, fly & kjøre & sykle.

Kanskje: Stikke, rømme, klatre, falle, stige