English Prepositions Research Articles

Schema Representation, Semantic Network Construction and Construal of the English Direction Preposition “To” and “Toward(s)”

For a long time, prepositions have been a class of words that have attracted the attention of scholars. However, from the perspectives of Structural Linguistics, Transformational-generative Linguistics, and Functional Linguistics, different scholars have emphasized the collocation of prepositions with other parts of speech to form a conventional linguistic unit, but have not studied the prepositions themselves. So far, most studies on English prepositions from the perspective of cognitive linguistics have focused on the prepositions with obvious spatial conceptual meaning. Still, there has not been sufficient cognitive research for some prepositions without spatial conceptual meaning. Therefore, this article selects the direction prepositions “to” and “toward(s),” from the perspective of cognitive linguistics, using category theory, schema theory, and construal theory, and combining the metaphor and metonymy to extend the meaning, to analyze and distinguish, finally construct schema representation, semantic network and construal of the English direction preposition “to” and “toward(s)”.

Representation of Prepositions in ESL Textbooks of Lower Primary Classes: A Study of NCERT Textbooks in India

Prepositions are among the most difficult parts of speech for ESL learners owing to their polysemous nature and how they behave in different languages. The present study aims to determine how English prepositions are represented in English Language textbooks designed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for Classes I and II in India. For a comparison of the frequency of prepositions in English, we have selected the British National Corpus. The study revealed that though the choice of prepositions in the textbooks is as par with their occurrences in the standard English corpus, their senses are not always primary, i.e., spatial. We found instances of temporal and metaphorical senses as well. One significant finding of this study is the relatively very low frequency of temporal use of prepositions as compared to the proto-typical spatial sense in these textbooks. The metaphorical uses of some common prepositions, which are more abstract and complex, are higher in frequency, especially in the exercises for giving instructions.

Difficulties Facing English Foreign Language University Students in Using English Prepositions

Prepositions are one of the most used parts of speech in English. Thisstudy is concerned with the difficulties are facing Libyan highereducation students on the use of English prepositions. More specifically,this study is an attempt to discover these problems and the misuse of theseprepositions. This study is a quantitative. Seventy-six EFL students wererandomly selected from Libyan English department in Faculty ofEducation. The objective test was the main instrument for data collection.The results showed that Libyan students committed varied kinds of theerrors in the use of prepositions. Analysis of the responses revealed thaterrors made were mainly based on the function and replacement of theprepositions. The difficulties encountered in the use of prepositions arelinked to the nature of English prepositions: polysemy, idiomatic usageand substitution with first language prepositions. Another strategy toteaching English prepositions is required to improve students’performance.

Embodied semantic parameters for the lexical representation of spatial relational categories

Abstract This paper proposes an explanatory model for the lexical representation of the native speakers’ lexical knowledge of English prepositions. Lexical knowledge of prepositions as relational predicates includes argument structure (trajector-landmark) as in Cognitive Grammar, situation types (position vs state) as in Functional Grammar, lexical hierarchies (spatial subdomains) based on semantic primitives, as in Natural Semantic Metalanguage, and embodied perceptual parameters configured in four dimensions, namely, geometry, topology, force-dynamics and function (from Cognitive Linguistics). This model is illustrated here by expounding three lexical templates compatible with constructional templates in the Lexical Constructional Model, representing the semantic decomposition of English prepositions at, on and in.

Massed Instruction vs. Spacing Instruction in Iranian Pre-Intermediate EFL Learners’ Learning of English Prepositions

Massed Instruction vs. Spacing Instruction in Iranian Pre-Intermediate EFL Learners’ Learning of English Prepositions

Ma student,comparative linguistics and linguistic translation study

The dative case in Karakalpak corresponds to the English Nominative case with the preposition “to” or without it and usually precede dative verbs like: beriw (to give), jónetiw (to send), aytıw (to tell), uzatıw (to hand), satıw (to sell), etc. The words in the dative case indicate the direction of the subject to someone or something and answer questions: kimge? – to/for whom?, nege? – to/for what?, qayaqqa? –where? Karakalpak dative construction Olar Lauraǵa priz berdi is normally conveyed in two ways in English as in: They gave Laura a prize (without a preposition). They gave a prize to Laura (with a preposition). The dative case in Karakalpak is formed with the help of special endings: -ǵa/ge, -qa/ke, -na/ne, -a/e and their meaning is the same as the meanings of the English prepositions to and for: balaǵa – to a child, balalarǵa – to children.

Are schematic diagrams valid visual representations of concepts? Evidence from mental imagery in online processing of English prepositions

Abstract Embodied imagery hypothesis proposes the activation of perceptual-motor systems during language processing. Previous studies primarily used concrete visual stimuli to investigate mental imagery in language processing by native speakers (NSs) and second language (L2) learners, but few studies employed schematic diagrams. The study aims to investigate mental imagery in processing prepositional phrases by English NSs and L2 learners. Using image-schematic diagrams as primes, we examine whether any mental imagery effect is modulated by target preposition (over, in), the abstractness of meaning (spatial, extended), and stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA; 1,040 ms, 2,040 ms). A total of 79 adult L2 learners and 100 NSs of English completed diagram–picture matching and semantic priming phrasal decision tasks. Results revealed interference effects on L2 processing of over phrases and under 2,040 ms SOA, but no such effects were observed in the NS group. The selective interference effects in L2 suggest different mental imagery patterns between L1 and L2 processing, and processing schematic diagram primes requires high cognitive demands, potentially leading to difficulties in integrating visual and linguistic information and making grammaticality judgments. The findings partially validate schematic diagrams as visual representations of concepts and suggest the need for further examination of schematic diagrams with varying degrees of complexity.

A Study on the Acquisition of English Prepositions by Japanese EFL Learners: Influence of Prototypicality, Semantic Relations, Familiarity, and L2 Proficiency

A Study on the Acquisition of English Prepositions by Japanese EFL Learners: Influence of Prototypicality, Semantic Relations, Familiarity, and L2 Proficiency

Syntactic Analysis of Urdu Case Clitics as Postpositions in Comparison with English Prepositions

The differences between Urdu and English pose many challenges for learners in Pakistan. One of them is the functioning of ‘Urdu case clitics as postpositions in comparison with English prepositions’. ‘Case Theory’ by Chomsky and Lasnik in 1977 has been implemented to qualitatively analyze whether Urdu accusative, dative and instrumental case clitics can function as Urdu postpositions in comparison with English prepositions. The study's major findings demonstrate that Urdu accusative case clitic ‘KO’ as well as Urdu dative case clitic ‘KO’ do not have structural compatibility with the English preposition ‘to’, hence, cannot be determined as Urdu postpositions. However, instrumental ‘se’ case clitics are harmonious to English prepositions to be called Urdu postpositions, for their placement in a sentence in relation to the noun they are modifying. The study also concludes the recommendation of further research to analyze the semantic properties of Urdu case clitics in comparison with English prepositions.

Actual Problems of Cognitive Linguistics at the Present Stage

This article is devoted to the study of the historical and scientific prerequisites for the formation of a young, developing, and at the same time controversial and controversial scientific branch of linguistics - cognitive linguistics. The goals, object and subject of research in this field of knowledge are determined by theoretical and methodological principles that are formed on the basis of the cognitive-oriented work of Kazakh and foreign linguists. The continuation of the research traditions of cognitive linguistics, which is gaining popularity among Kazakh researchers, is noted. The theoretical and scientific basis of the research are such linguistic areas as frame and conceptual semantics, prototypical semantics, the theory of relevance (or linguistic emphasis), the theory of cognitive models and cognitive metaphor, the theory of mental spaces. Special attention is paid to the problems of the English language in comparison with other language groups, which creates difficulties in linguists relying on traditional approaches to the study of the language system. The identified specific features in the use of English prepositions, modal verbs, the use of participles, the category of voice, tense, aspect, mood, as well as some difficulties in coordinating tenses lead researchers to the need to use linguo-cognitive methods of cognition. The establishment of a close and complex relationship between language and the process of thinking, cognition is accepted as an evidence-based advantage of the study. The data obtained as a result of the analysis are based on logical, deductive, comparative linguistic research methods. The tools used to assess the current problems of modern cognitive linguistics can be of applied significance and be used in international scientific communities to improve approaches to language learning. The scientific and practical significance of this study lies in the search for possible ways and implementation of identification opportunities, as well as a comprehensive study of the most pressing problems, reflecting the urgent need for further development of this scientific field.

On the Variability of Portuguese Duration Adverbials with Por and Durante

The fact that there are (at least) two different translations of the English preposition for used to describe duration in Portuguese, namely durante and por, shows that duration is an interesting area in the tense and aspect panorama of this language, which deserves close study. In this paper, I present an empirical study based on four different corpora to investigate the matter, looking at the Portuguese varieties from Brazil and Portugal and different text genres (general and specialised newspapers, oral interviews, and fiction). The material spans circa two centuries. This paper identifies some specific uses and preferences of the two adverbials and confirms and challenges other claims in the linguistic literature. It shows that narrative fiction is definitely different from newspaper text due to its need to describe short duration and that planned duration can be expressed using both kinds of adverbials.

Enhanced extensive reading in EFL classroom: An investigation of its effect on learners’ incidental preposition acquisition

This study investigates the impact of enhanced extensive reading on the incidental acquisition of prepositions "in," "on," and "at" related to time and place among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Ten senior students from the English Education Department at the State Islamic University of North Sumatera participated in a pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest approach. The pretest assessed preposition proficiency, followed by a two-week extensive reading intervention, resulting in a significant improvement in post-test scores, as evidenced by a paired t-test (p = .000). Utilizing Google Forms for standardized data collection, the study incorporated multiple-choice and fixing incorrect prepositions sections, revealing a notable mean score increase from 59.5 to 69 post-intervention. Effect sizes, calculated with Cohen's D, indicated a small effect (0.15) in the multiple-choice section and a substantial effect (0.78) in fixing incorrect prepositions. Participants' positive perception of extensive reading aligns with literature emphasizing the benefits of repeated exposure to prepositions in texts. Acknowledging limitations such as a small sample size and limited reading materials, the study recommends future research to enhance study design and diversify participants. Common mistakes in preposition usage, including challenges in time-specific contexts and confusion between "in," "on," and "at," were analyzed, emphasizing the importance of targeted instruction. In conclusion, combining incidental learning through enhanced extensive reading with targeted instruction proves effective in improving EFL learners' incidental acquisition of English prepositions, offering valuable insights for educators to address specific challenges in preposition usage.

The Semantics of before in the Nigeria Criminal Code Ac

This paper is premised on the semantic analysis of the preposition Before in the ‘Nigeria Criminal Code Act’. The study opts for the preposition due to its paramount importance in languages, and the vital roles its proper usage and understanding could play in the interpretation of laws. The Nigeria Criminal Code Act’ was used to determine the senses associated with the preposition serves as the primary source of data collection. The study gleans the semantics through the extensive reading from the primary source to detect the semantics from the contexts; and the reading of relevant Dictionaries and other published and unpublished books on the semantics of preposition before to collect the semantic networks of the selected preposition. A table is used to showcase the recurrence of the selected preposition before and its senses in the chosen legal text. The work advances the Principled Polysemy Approach to first explore both prototypical and extended senses of the preposition in English as a natural language with a view to serving as the threshold and premises for the examination of its senses in the chosen legal text; and to see if there is any peculiarity in the senses associated with the selected preposition in the text. The research concludes that, the extended senses are the only senses associated with the selected preposition in the document. There is no significant difference between the semantics of before, in the document and its senses in everyday English. Though, the language of the law is different from everyday language, this is not applied to all aspects of the language. This paper from the study concludes that the use of the one-word preposition in legal language is not different from their uses in everyday language.

Contrasting the semantics of prepositions through a cognitive linguistic approach

Abstract Many studies on cognitive-semantic analysis focus on the patterns of polysemy of prepositions and the explanation of how the multiple senses of prepositions are related in systematic ways. Only a few publications pay attention to the contrastive analysis of prepositions in different languages. The article addresses this gap in research literature and aims: to present a contrastive analysis of the English preposition on and its Italian and Russian partial equivalents in order to uncover the main areas of semantic asymmetry between them; to compare patterns of semantic extensions (from spatial to nonspatial senses) of these prepositions, and to determine how the similarities and differences in their spatial senses explain the similarities and differences in their nonspatial senses. The article follows a conceptual metaphor approach. Since most of the conceptual metaphors and metonyms are common cross-linguistically, similarities in patterns of semantic extensions of prepositions can be explained through the conceptual metaphors and metonymies on which these extensions are based. The article also demonstrates how the similarities and differences in spatial senses of the English preposition on, Italian su, and Russian na explain the similarities and differences in their nonspatial senses.

Research and Strategies of English Prepositions—Take the Practice of Level 2 Translation in the 2023 China Accreditation Test for Translators and Interpreters as an Example

Research and Strategies of English Prepositions—Take the Practice of Level 2 Translation in the 2023 China Accreditation Test for Translators and Interpreters as an Example

The Diachronic Development of Agency Prepositions in Old and Middle English

This article traces the development of agency prepositions in Old and Middle English passives, documenting the most important stages of the process and presenting them against a larger background of linguistic changes after the Norman Conquest. The study is based on large, syntactically annotated corpora of Early English, and takes into account all the main agency prepositions, that is, þurh ‘through,’ fram ‘from,’ mid ‘with,’ bi ‘by,’ and of, analyzing their token and type frequency, textual distribution, diachronic trends, collocational preferences, and use in lexically fixed formulas. The results are interpreted within the Construction Grammar framework, with the agency prepositional phrase treated as an emerging construction undergoing a slow and particularly difficult constructionalization process hindered by the restriction of the long passive to the written mode.

ПРЕДЛОГИ В ГРАММАТИЧЕСКОМ СТРОЕ АНГЛИЙСКОГО ЯЗЫКА: СЕМАНТИКО-ФУНКЦИОНАЛЬНЫЙ АСПЕКТ

The article gives a semantic-functional analysis of the preposition as a part of speech in the grammatical structure of the English language and considers the views on the nature and linguistic status of prepositions of various scholars: from O. Jespersen, A.I. Smirnitsky and I.I. Meshchaninov to modern English linguist David Crystal and others. The semantic and structural characteristics of prepositions are highlighted. The authors note such a feature of the linguistic characteristics of prepositions as the inability to apply traditional concepts of grammatical and lexical meaning to them, which leads to controversial issues in the conceptual understanding of prepositions in linguistics. The article analyzes the key moments of the semantics and functioning of English prepositions: the implementation of the relations of homonymy, synonymy and antonymy in the system of prepositions, their role in the syntax of the English language. The final part of the article deals with the cognitive and linguo-methodological aspects of English prepositions.

Exploring the Influence of Gender and L1 Conceptual Transfer on English Prepositional Usage

This study explores how gender and first language (L1) conceptual transfer influence the use of English prepositions among 50 Vietnamese university students aged 18 to 25, enrolled in an English language program. The participants' comprehension of English prepositions in terms of usage, meaning, and context was assessed using pre- and post-tests consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions. The data analysis employed descriptive and inferential statistics, including chi-square tests and independent samples t-tests. Both the pre- and post-test results revealed a moderate level of English prepositional usage, with all participants displaying improvement. Female participants performed slightly better than males on the post-test, while there were no notable gender differences in pre-test scores. In both tests, participants with high levels of L1 conceptual transfer performed significantly poorer compared to those with low levels. These findings highlight the significant role of L1 conceptual transfer in the English prepositional usage of Vietnamese language learners, while suggesting a minor impact of gender. Further research is needed to delve deeper into this relationship. The results emphasize the importance of addressing L1 conceptual transfer in English language instruction, specifically regarding prepositions, within the context of Vietnam.

The Impact of Biological Gender Exploring on L1 Negative Transfer in English Preposition Learning

This study investigates the influence of biological gender on L1 negative transfer in learning English prepositions. Interviews were conducted with 12 English language learners, revealing that males performed better in spatial prepositions but struggled with other types. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining qualitative and quantitative research. Female participants demonstrated higher performance, and the study was conducted in Luxembourg, a multilingual country. Ethical considerations were addressed, achieving a 91.08% response rate. Results indicated females generally outperformed males in prepositional accuracy. Language transfer from L1 impacted preposition acquisition, with replacement errors being common. Females showed greater syntactic maturity, while males exhibited advanced linguistic skills. Stylistic differences in writing styles were observed. The study highlights the influence of gender in language acquisition and contributes to understanding gender disparities in second language learning.

L2 English preposition use by Czech university learners: A learner corpus study

L2 English preposition use by Czech university learners: A learner corpus study