Abstract
The present article suggests that the figurative meanings of English phrasal verbs can be interpreted by means of image schemas. It is argued that image schemas reflect bodily experiences which constitute configurations of spatial perception. The article classifies image schemas and draws examples from English phrasal verbs. The article discusses how the semantics of the particle (which prototypically denotes space and motion) encourages various types of image schemas which can be extended into more abstract and metaphoric readings. The article investigates how English phrasal verbs of the form take plus particles encourage the image schemas of containment, the journey and its component parts, goal, path, proximity-distance, linkage-separation, front-back orientation, part-whole relationship and linear order. The article also argues for image schematic transformations.
Highlights
English phrasal verbs constitute one of the most difficult areas of English grammar as far as their teaching and learning is concerned
The present paper suggests that the figurative meanings of English phrasal verbs can be interpreted by means of image schemas
This article suggested that the meanings of English phrasal verbs could be interpreted by means
Summary
English phrasal verbs constitute one of the most difficult areas of English grammar as far as their teaching and learning is concerned (cf. Rudzka-Ostyn 2003). The present paper suggests that the figurative meanings of English phrasal verbs can be interpreted by means of image schemas. The paper follows Tsaroucha (2018) approach to English phrasal verbs, stating that the grammatical category of English phrasal verbs is a special instance of composite structure since English phrasal verbs should be studied as unified constructions. As far as the methodology is concerned, this paper investigates how the figurative meanings of the English phrasal verbs of the form component verb take plus component particle up, down, in/into, out, back, apart can be interpreted by means of different types of image schemas, namely containment, the journey and its component parts, goal, path, proximity-distance, linkage-separation, front-back. The semantics of the particle shift and are systematically extended to denote more abstract concepts
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