Motion Verbs in Arabic and English Narratives: A Contrastive Semantic Analysis

O estudo piloto descrito investiga o domínio de verbos de movimento na aquisição típica e atípica, com indivíduos com Síndrome de Williams. Consideram-se diferentes tipos de verbos de movimento em relação aos primitivos semânticos movimento, modo e trajetória e sua lexicalização na raiz verbal (SILVA JÚNIOR, 2015). Avalia-se a compreensão a partir de uma tarefa de julgamento de verificação de compatibilidade entre codificação linguística e eventos ocorridos. Os participantes foram apresentados a sentenças, seguidas de pequenos vídeos e deveriam responder se as frases eram ou não compatíveis com o evento exibido no vídeo. Testaram-se (i) verbos de movimento e modo, (ii) verbos de movimento e trajetória, (iii) verbos de movimento, modo e trajetória com foco na meta e (iv) verbos de movimento, modo e trajetória com trajetória delimitada. Reportam-se os dados de quinze crianças com desenvolvimento típico, quinze adultos, como grupo controle, além de um estudo de caso com um indivíduo com SW, com 10 anos de idade. Os resultados indicam efeitos de grupo e tipo de verbo. As crianças apresentam maior dificuldade nos verbos do tipo (iv). Já o indivíduo com SW, apesar de mais velho, evidencia dificuldade ainda maior nessa condição, indicando uma dificuldade não-linguística stricto sensu.

The last four decades have seen huge progress in the description and analysis of cross-linguistic diversity in the encoding of motion (Talmy 1985, 1991, Slobin 1996, 2004). Comparisons between satellite-framed and verb-framed languages suggest that satellite-framed languages typically have a larger manner of motion verb lexicon (swim,dash), while verb-framed languages typically have a larger path of motion verb lexicon (enter,cross) (Slobin 2004, Verkerk 2013, 2014b). This paper investigates how differences between the motion verb lexicons of satellite-framed and verb-framed languages emerge. Phylogenetic comparative methods adopted from biology and an etymological study are used to investigate manner verb lexicons and path verb lexicons in an Indo-European dataset. I show that manner verbs and path verbs typically have different types of etymological origins and that manner verbs emerge faster in satellite-framed subgroups, while path verbs emerge faster in verb-framed subgroups.

This study investigates the use of the Talmy-Slobin typology of semantic components of motion verbs as applied to Bible translation. Using the Bup Kudus Baru, a new Iban translation, in comparison with a framework formed by the Hebrew original, NRSV representing English translation, and occasionally a Chinese translation, the author demonstrates the key features of verb-framed, satellite-framed, and equipollently-framed languages. The analysis of two Hebrew motion verbs, yāșā’ (path verb) and hālak (manner verb), and their respective Iban translations in Bup Kudus Baru, shows that the Iban language, much like Malay and Urak Lawoi’ from the same language family, is of path-salient nature in principle, but at the same time displays the use of serial verb constructs, a feature of equipollently-framed languages when manner verbs are required. The author concludes with some suggestions of ways to apply the Talmy-Slobin model in Bible translation, from the point of view of translators, translation officers, and their institutions.

Spanish and Mandarin Chinese have been classified as verb-framed language and satellite-framed language respectively (Talmy: 1991, 2000). However, in Spanish, manner verbs are compatible with hacia and hasta, and a small group of them can do so with a. The typological discussion on Mandarin Chinese focuses on the serial verb construction of “manner verb + path word”, in which the second constituent lacking morphological variation can also function independently as path verb. To try to shed light on these discussions, we propose that the core scheme —the directional path— of the motion event is generated through the interaction between the verb and the preposition, in which the manner verb with external movement implies a non- directional path which plays a primary role, while the preposition and the second constituent of the Chinese serial verb construction are only direction indicators that do not contribute any path. The analysis of the combinatory between manner verbs and hacia, hasta, a, as well as their equivalent Chinese expressions, support our hypothesis and they let conclude that: a is locative; Chinese serial verb construction belongs to the satellite-framed language type; the extensive value of hasta does not favor the generation of the directional path, but that of its Chinese equivalent can do so.

Rappaport Hovav and Levin[1,2] propose the manner/result complementarity (MRC), which predicts the non-existence of verbs lexicalizing both manner and result at a time. Scholars [3, 4] argue against the MRC as a general lexical principle governing the lexicalization patterns of verbs by naming verbs which seem to encode both meaning components simultaneously. One type of counterexample verbs are based on the lexicalization properties of typologically different languages. Following Slobin [5], Shi and Wu [6] suggest that manner and result meaning components exhibit complementary distribution in satellite-framed languages but not verb-framed languages. Though Modern Chinese is generally classified as a satellite-framed language, Old Chinese is regarded as a verb-framed language and the lexicalization patterns of Old Chinese motion verbs are also subjected to controversy. Drawing evidence from motion verbs in Old Chinese, this study tries to answer whether the MRC constrains the possible lexicalization patterns of motion verbs in verb-framed languages. Detailed analysis indicates that though typologically different languages may use morphosyntactic devices specific to the language to differentiate verbs falling into different ontological categories, Old Chinese motion verbs conform to the MRC hypothesis.

This study contributes to the analysis of thinking-for-translating in comics. It explores the translation of motion events in five albums of the French comic Asterix and its corresponding translations into Galician and into English. It aims at analysing any differences in the number and the type of motion verbs used across the three languages and the strategies used to translate Manner and Path of motion verbs. With this purpose in mind, the study includes type-token analyses of all motion verbs; it covers the intratypological language pair French > Galician that has not been analysed in the phenomenon of motion events in this genre, as well as the intertypological pair French > English. Finally, while most studies focus on the translation strategies for manner verbs, this study includes the strategies not only of manner but also of path verbs. Findings in the compiled corpus indicated intertypological differences in the translation of path and manner verbs into English. With regard to the strategies used for the translation of both manner and path verbs, it was observed that Manner and Path tend to be retained and intertypological differences were found in the use of omission, replacement and visual compensation strategies in the translation of path verbs.

This article examines Slobin's concept of thinking for speaking (TFS) in the gesture/speech interface of advanced L2 speakers of English and Spanish. The focus is on the use of motion verbs in the respective languages. English, a satellite‐framed language, encodes manner of motion in the verb and indicates path of motion on satellite phrases (e.g. The frog leaped out of the boy's pocket). Spanish, a verb‐framed language, encodes path, and only rarely manner of motion, in the verb. If manner is encoded at all, it is done either through lexical phrases (e.g. Tarzan saltó de liana a liana‘Tarzan jumped from vine to vine’) or gesture. Using McNeill's notion of growth point, the study suggests that L2 speakers, even at advanced levels, have difficulties manifesting L2 TFS patterns and continue to rely on the patterns internalized in their L1. Shifting from an L1 to an L2 TFS is particularly vexing for the L1 English speakers, because their L1 is richly endowed with manner verbs, while Spanish, their L2, is not. Spanish L1 speakers in L2 English, on the other hand, can rely on the English equivalents of basic manner verbs in Spanish. The analysis also suggests the need for reconsidering how manner verbs are categorized.

In the literature on motion events, a lot of previous research can be found on the contrast between the typology of expression favoured by so-called ‘verb-framed languages’ and that favoured by so-called ‘satellite-framed languages.’ Only some of this previous research, however, has focused its attention on the reasons that ultimately bring about such contrasting fashions of speaking. The present study explores this issue in some depth by trying to identify what specific grammatical constraints lead Italian speakers to be shy of the use of manner verbs in the expression of motion events (at least when compared with speakers of a typical satellite-framed language such as English). The outcome of an interpretation task and a grammatical judgement task conducted with some Italian native speakers suggests that this phenomenon ultimately originates from features exhibited by the Italian system of spatial prepositions, as well as from features exhibited by a certain kind of Italian manner verbs. The constraints caused by the verbs appear to be particularly significant.

This study analyzed the overlap of motion lexicon, namely manner and path verbs’ frequency profiles, in English high school textbooks (9th-12th grade) and English university entrance exams (2010-2019) in Turkey through AntwordProfiler, a corpus linguistic tool. The manner verbs were sampled from Levin’s study (1993) while the path verbs were gathered from Talmy’s book (2001). The frequency of motion verbs in official teaching materials was compared with their frequency in exam materials using SPSS. The results indicate that the mismatch of motion verbs between the textbook and exam corpora is statistically significant in terms of manner verb frequency levels (p < .000). While path verbs scored, on average, higher in descriptive statistics in the textbook corpus, there was no statistical significance observed. The findings suggest that whenever the students take English exam, they may be more likely to be under a higher cognitive load and may be forced to develop the negative backwash effect since what is taught is not tested. This, consequently, raises concerns regarding the content validity of exams and other issues related to the reliability and validity of the national English exams. The findings of this study have implications for material developers and test takers.

This study investigated how Talmy’s typological framework and Slobin’s (1996) ‘thinking for speaking’ hypothesis affect Korean-English bilinguals’ verbal expression of the motion events in L1 and L2. Based on the cross-linguistic differences in conflation of motion between English and Korean, this study determines whether and how monolingual English speakers and bilinguals (Korean L1, English L2) who reside in the USA differ in the lexicalization of motion events in L1 and L2. The bilingual speakers differed in length of residence (LoR) in the L2 environment: bilingual speakers with relatively longer LoR were categorized as high-proficiency; those with shorter LoR as low-proficiency. Materials were video animation clips that depict goal-oriented motion events; participants were asked to describe verbally what had happened in each animation. English monolinguals produced more manner verbs than path verbs in English, whereas Korean-English bilinguals (both long and short LoR) produced more path verbs than manner verbs in Korean. The event conceptualization patterns of their L1 Korean remained intact regardless of their L2 proficiency. However, bilinguals with long LoR successfully switched toward the patterns of English monolinguals, whereas bilinguals with short LoR did not; this result shows an L1 transfer effect. Typological differences between L1 and L2 instantiated in thinking for speaking in bilingualism is discussed as a function of different LoR of bilingual speakers.

This is a study in the syntax and semantics of Old English verbs of motion, including verbs of neutral motion, verbs of manner of motion and verbs of path of motion. Its aim is to identify the morphosyntactic alternations in which these verbs participate. The theoretical basis of the research draws on Goddard’s semantics of motion, Levin’s model of verb classes and alternations and Talmy’s typological distinction between satellite-framed languages and verb-framed languages. The grammatical patterns of the verbs under analysis are discussed, as described in The Dictionary of Old English (Healey), with special emphasis on the study of transitivity, case, prepositional government, and reflexivity. As far as meaning components are concerned, this work concentrates on the study of polysemy. The conclusions of this study refer to the consistency of the syntactic behaviour of the verbs under analysis and the main alternations found within the verbal classes.

This paper deals with the translation of motion events between typologically similar and different languages, a research field which has been generally approached from the Thinking-for-translating hypothesis. Here we present a student-based experiment focused on the translation of boundary-crossing events (specifically: ‘manner verb + into + a bounded space’) from English (a satellite-framed language) into German (a satellite-framed language) and Spanish (a verb-framed language). The aim is to investigate whether translation students interpret correctly and translate both the boundary-crossing and the Manner information. For this purpose, a group of German and Spanish translation students were asked to translate a series of excerpts from English narrative texts into their respective mother tongues. The results suggest that the way translation students deal with these phenomena is mainly influenced by the lexicalization patterns of their mother tongues, but the nature of the event itself and the context also seem to be key in some cases.

The article pertains to the powerful bi-categorial typology of languages developed by Talmy. The researcher generally points at satellite-framed languages and verb-framed languages in terms of conflating the semantic component of path, either to a satellite placed near a manner verb or to a verb root. Slobin expanded that typology by introducing a class of equipollently framed languages. English and Polish are both satellite-framed languages. Nonetheless, while English colloquially expresses ideas with constructions lexicalising precise path through satellites, Polish translation renders the path, neutralises it, changes it, or omits the path conveyed by the original version, which is illustrated by this paper.

This paper introduces new data showing that Medieval French patterns like a satellite-framed language in that directed motion events can be expressed via a manner verb and a PP complement denoting a telic goal. This contrasts sharply with contemporary French, a typical verb-framed language, in which directed motion is encoded via path verbs with manner as a separate adjunct phrase. Typologically, the data is consistent with a number of other argument structure properties that characterise Medieval French as satellite-framed much like English and Dutch. I argue that the source of variation between Medieval and present-day French resides in a difference in the extended functional projection of prepositional elements. While Medieval French has an active functional projection that permits simple prepositions to encode path, present-day French does not. The analysis diverges from recent accounts of the directed motion construction in which the locus of variation is situated in a macro-parameter.

Pazar Laz (pl) has a rich set of spatial prefixes, which encode path information as separate morphemes. However, unlike satellite-framed languages,plspatial prefixes are incompatible with manner of motion verbs, which do not inherently encode path information, but they can only be used with directed motion verbs where the path information is available in the lexical semantics of the verb. Given this pattern, complementingAcedo-Matellán (2016)’s classification of weak vs. strong satellite-framed languages, we argue that verb-framed languages are also of two types. While languages like Romance are strong verb-framed languages encoding Path directly in the verb root,plconstitutes an example of a weak verb-framed language, where Path is affixal and forms a single word with the verb. We argue that spatial prefixes spell out the underassociated Path projection of the verb à laRamchand (2008b).