TEMPORAL AND LOCATIVE PREPOSITIONS VERSUS ADVERBS: LEXICAL AND GRAMMATICAL OVERLAPPING (CORPUS-BASED STUDY)

Yurii Kovbasko

doi:10.20535/2410-8286.77941

Abstract

The paper focuses on an essential problem of a “part-of-speech” theory, including temporal and locative prepositions and adverbs overlapping in lexical and grammatical perspective. The study is pursued on a corpus-based approach towards prepositions and adverbs overlapping in present-day English (PDE), giving consideration to the complements applied. The latter are divided into two wide groups, namely Noun Phrase and Alternative Complements. To organise the results the comparative-parametric method of linguistic research developed by Sternina was introduced. A comparison has been made between traditional interpretation of complement use and practical corpus-based results in PDE. It has been ascertained that among 94 lexical units treated as one-word prepositions 49 units show overlapping of prepositions and adverbs; however, 39 units bear locative and temporal semes. The results of the PDE corpus-based research show that conventional interpretation of prepositions as lexical units governing Noun Phrase Complements and Adverbs as units correlating with Alternative Complements is deceptive, as it is based on a synchronic syntactic approach, neglecting diachronic syntax and semantics. The hypothesis proposed describes a necessity to reconsider modern PoS division theory, taking into account diachronic approach and analysis of lexical units at the stages of their genesis in Old English and Middle English periods.

Highlights

Any language and its units are characterised by a certain degree of responsiveness to various external and internal factors, which influence them
Traditional definition of prepositions as words, which indicate relations between other lexical units and are obligatory clustered with Noun Phrase (NP), as their complements let us derive an oppositional assumption – if words, indicating relations between other lexical units, do not use NPs, they cannot be classified as prepositions, and are defined as adverbs
If analysing the use of lexical units as adverbs governing Alternative Complements, see Table 1, it is possible to state that according to the comparative-parametric method only 2 words – at, from – are determined as those of absolute quantitative rate, 18 words belong to the group of hyperhigh units; 13 words are characterised by high degree; 2 words – around, astride – belong to a group with a considerable rate; words – over, about – are determined by a vivid degree; 2 words – following, under – have a noticeable degree. These results show that there is no such unanimity as to the use of complements among the lexical units defined as adverbs, and the combination Adv + Alternative Complement is actual in 83.4% of examples, while NP Complements are used in 16.6%

Summary

Introduction

Any language and its units are characterised by a certain degree of responsiveness to various external and internal factors, which influence them It presupposes their dynamic nature and stipulates the fact that all linguistic phenomena, despite their statistical character, are in constant motion and interact with each other at different levels, indicating the permanent development of language in diachrony. In this context, the most distinguished dynamic changes describe transposition phenomenon “which makes possible the use of words as members of other classes than their “logical” or natural “word class” The aim of the paper is to analyse lexical and grammatical overlapping of temporal and locative prepositions and adverbs, which exists in present day English (PDE), by means of employing corpus-based and corpus-driven approaches

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Conclusion