Spatial Meaning Research Articles

Revisiting the Tangut Directional Prefix ·jij 1

Directional prefixes, prevalent in Tangut and modern Qiangic languages, play a crucial role in expressing tense-aspect-modality and spatial meanings. Tangut directional prefixes are classified as belonging to either perfective (Dir1) or optative (Dir2) paradigms, but polyfunctional prefixes have puzzled scholars. The prefix ·jij1 -, traditionally viewed as optative, has been observed since Kepping (1985) to also express the durative aspect. Drawing evidence from Tangut internal sources, in particular from an under-explored indigenous text, The Ode on Monthly Pleasures, this paper proposes the existence of a Dir1 prefix ·jij1 -, potentially related to the yod unspecified directionals found in modern Gyalrongic. The proposed Dir1 prefix ·jij1 - is homophonous with the optative (Dir2) prefix ·jij1 - and would have served as the source for the grammaticalization of the durative ·jij1 -. This work refines previous reconstructions of Tangut directional paradigms, and offers insights into the diachrony of tense-aspect-modality in Gyalrongic.

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)”.

A Cognitive Semantic Account of the Preposition “‘bra” in Modern Standard Arabic with Reference to the English “Through”

Prepositions are crucial grammatical devices for indicating location, movement, time, and other meanings. A case in point is the Arabic preposition “‘abra,” which expresses different spatial, temporal, and abstract meanings. Adopting a cognitive semantic perspective, this study investigates ‘abra, its diverse spatial meanings, and metaphorical extensions. It also uses cognitive constructs such as image schemas, prototypes, and conceptual metaphor to demonstrate how various senses of ‘abra can be described based on perceptual properties and cognitive characteristics. In addition, this study compares the meanings of ‘abra with those of its English equivalent (through). This research uses authentic examples from Modern Standard Arabic available through the Sketch Engine website and illustrations created by the researcher. The analytical description involves the basic schema, the prototypical meaning, and the metaphorical extensions. The findings reveal that ‘abra and “through” share a basic image schema and prototypical sense with slight differences resulting from varying conceptualizations. The metaphorical extensions are also similar. The distinctions between the two mostly pertain to the semantic scope in addition to the fact that ‘abra also covers the meaning of the preposition “across.” Generally, this analysis asserts that prepositional meanings are best described using a cognitive semantic framework. The results may be useful in the fields of lexicon, second learning and teaching, as well as translation.

Learning to use landmarks for navigation amplifies their representation in retrosplenial cortex.

Visual landmarks provide powerful reference signals for efficient navigation by altering the activity of spatially tuned neurons, such as place cells, head direction cells, and grid cells. To understand the neural mechanism by which landmarks exert such strong influence, it is necessary to identify how these visual features gain spatial meaning. In this study, we characterized visual landmark representations in mouse retrosplenial cortex (RSC) using chronic two-photon imaging of the same neuronal ensembles over the course of spatial learning. We found a pronounced increase in landmark-referenced activity in RSC neurons that, once established, remained stable across days. Changing behavioral context by uncoupling treadmill motion from visual feedback systematically altered neuronal responses associated with the coherence between visual scene flow speed and self-motion. To explore potential underlying mechanisms, we modeled how burst firing, mediated by supralinear somatodendritic interactions, could efficiently mediate context- and coherence-dependent integration of landmark information. Our results show that visual encoding shifts to landmark-referenced and context-dependent codes as these cues take on spatial meaning during learning.

Pedagogical Dimensions of Traditional and Modern Art

Pedagogical and interart features of Nepali art are themes of discussions. Pedagogy is a very important aspect of Nepali paintings, so is the interart subject. Pedagogic practice of art has always remained the most important form of activity. But the traditional art has its own legacy and strength. The method of apprenticeship of art comes from both family and school. But to understand the strength of the pedagogy of paintings we should also look at the interart dimension of art studies. Nepal also provides ample examples of such concepts and practices through times. Art pedagogy has two clear sides. One is temporal and the other is spatial. The temporal meaning is that Nepali art learning or teaching happened with the call and needs of the times. The spatial meaning is that the teaching and learning of art in general has happened as part of the heritage. The paintings and, even more than that, the sculptural and architectonic forms abound with examples. Nepali artists' stories of going out for learning art and returning with training and degree and contributing to the pedagogy and other practice have their own histories.

Demonstratives as attention tools: Evidence of mentalistic representations within language

Linguistic communication is an intrinsically social activity that enables us to share thoughts across minds. Many complex social uses of language can be captured by domain-general representations of other minds (i.e., mentalistic representations) that externally modulate linguistic meaning through Gricean reasoning. However, here we show that representations of others' attention are embedded within language itself. Across ten languages, we show that demonstratives-basic grammatical words (e.g., "this"/"that") which are evolutionarily ancient, learned early in life, and documented in all known languages-are intrinsic attention tools. Beyond their spatial meanings, demonstratives encode both joint attention and the direction in which the listener must turn to establish it. Crucially, the frequency of the spatial and attentional uses of demonstratives varies across languages, suggesting that both spatial and mentalistic representations are part of their conventional meaning. Using computational modeling, we show that mentalistic representations of others' attention are internally encoded in demonstratives, with their effect further boosted by Gricean reasoning. Yet, speakers are largely unaware of this, incorrectly reporting that they primarily capture spatial representations. Our findings show that representations of other people's cognitive states (namely, their attention) are embedded in language and suggest that the most basic building blocks of the linguistic system crucially rely on social cognition.

Are spatial terms rooted in geometry or force-dynamics? Yes.

Theories of spatial term meanings often focus on geometric properties of objects and locations as the key to understanding meaning. For example, in English, "The cat is on the mat" might engage geometric properties characterizing the figure ('cat', a point) and the ground ('mat', a plane) as well as the geometric relationship between the two objects ('on', + vertical, 0 distance from ground object). However, substantial literature suggests that geometric properties are far from sufficient to capture the meanings of many spatial expressions, and that instead, force-dynamic properties of objects that afford containment or support relationships may be crucial to the meanings of those expressions. I will argue that both approaches are needed to understand the variety of spatial terms that appear in language and further, that spatial terms fall into two distinct sets, one represented by geometric properties of figure and ground and their spatial relationships, and the other by the force-dynamic properties of objects and their relationships. This division of labor within spatial terms has many consequences, with the two types differing in the nature of the acquisition problem and likely learning mechanisms, the extent and kind of cross-linguistic variation that has been observed, and the application of pragmatic principles to spatial terms. Speculatively, the two types may also be rooted in different cognitive systems and their neural substrates.

High-Pitched Sound is Open and Low-Pitched Sound is Closed: Representing the Spatial Meaning of Pitch Height.

Research shows that high- and low-pitch sounds can be associated with various meanings. For example, high-pitch sounds are associated with small concepts, whereas low-pitch sounds are associated with large concepts. This study presents three experiments revealing that high-pitch sounds are also associated with open concepts and opening hand actions, while low-pitch sounds are associated with closed concepts and closing hand actions. In Experiment 1, this sound-meaning correspondence effect was shown using the two-alternative forced-choice task, while Experiments 2 and 3 used reaction time tasks to show this interaction. In Experiment 2, high-pitch vocalizations were found to facilitate opening hand gestures, and low-pitch vocalizations were found to facilitate closing hand gestures, when performed simultaneously. In Experiment 3, high-pitched vocalizations were produced particularly rapidly when the visual target stimulus presented an open object, and low-pitched vocalizations were produced particularly rapidly when the target presented a closed object. These findings are discussed concerning the meaning of intonational cues. They are suggested to be based on cross-modally representing conceptual spatial knowledge in sensory, motor, and affective systems. Additionally, this pitch-opening effect might share cognitive processes with other pitch-meaning effects.

Disorientation as an Emotional Experience: An Introduction from an Interactionist Perspective

AbstractDisorientation is a versatile, multidisciplinary concept. Whether associated with its spatial meaning or its non-spatial, more metaphorical sense, various disciplines have used disorientation to describe a broad range of philosophical, cultural, and social phenomena in the last decades. However, the focus on the concept from an emotional perspective remains scarce. To expand the current investigation on the topic, the present paper attempts a first approach to conceptualize disorientation as an emotional experience from an interactionist perspective. The paper reviews the previous literature, provides theoretical background and a working definition for the concept, and examines prototypical situations that are potentially disorienting for individuals, emphasizing the social and situated nature of the disorienting experience. The paper also comments on the relationships between disorientation and culture and points out some implications of the concept in mental health and psychological distress. Altogether, the paper argues about the value of disorientation as a powerful construct to gain insight into what, why, and how traumatic and everyday situations as well as current cultural and social challenges impact people emotionally.

A Cognitive Semantic Study of the Arabic Preposition “khilāl”

This study aims to demonstrate the concept of the Arabic preposition "khilāl" from a cognitive semantic perspective. Prototype theory, image schema, and metaphor theory are used to analyze the data Some of the Arabic expressions are chosen to be analyzed. It has been found that the spatial meaning of the preposition "khilāl" is its prototype meaning. The source-path-goal schema and the spatial metaphor are used to extend the meaning of the word from the spatial to non-spatial domains. These results lead to the conclusion that a given preposition's prototype meaning, "khilāl" is the source of all of its non-prototypical meanings.

Избыточность лично-возвратного местоимения себя: к вопросу о небанальном грамматическом плеоназме

The article deals with the case of grammatical pleonasm, which involves the verbalization of the verbal position of the actant or localizer by the case forms of the personal reflexive pronoun self, which have a spatial or subject-object meaning. This phenomenon is widespread in modern usage (at least 50 verbs participate in it), in different types of discourse (journalistic, political, advertising, colloquial, literary, educational and scientific), in oral and written speech, but it is not comprehended in terms of “language norm” or “speech error”, although the data of explanatory dictionaries impose a ban on the duplicate use of the pronoun self with some verbs. The article proves the deficiency of such combinations based on the semantic analysis of verbs, as well as by means of grammatical transformation – changing the part of speech or word order, which serve as additional methods of error verification. Based on the analysis of semantics, the list of verbs (50 units) that form pleonastic collocations (55 units) with all members of the case paradigm (Genitive, Accusative, Dative, Ablative and Locative with or without a preposition) of the personal reflexive pronoun self was revealed. Pleonastic control is provoked mainly by transitive verbs with the meaning of “location” and “placement / movement of an object” (integrating it into something, or excluding it, joining it with something, collecting or eliminating), as well as the meaning of “possessing” or “obtaining”. In metaphorical contexts with these verbs, the pronoun self is also redundant. From the point of view of linguistic logic, semantics and existing dictionary stipulations, this phenomenon should be codified as a grammatical pleonasm.

Associated motion, associated posture and imperfective aspect in Tacana (Amazonian Bolivia)

Abstract This paper is the first detailed description of the exceptionally rich subsystem of verbal inflections that express imperfective aspect in Tacana, an endangered and underdescribed language from the Takanan family. The unusually high degree of elaboration of this system, which includes nine members in paradigmatic opposition, is achieved by co-expressing imperfective aspect with spatial meanings taken from two distinct categories: associated motion (with five values: ‘going’, ‘coming’, ‘going back’, ‘coming back’, ‘wandering’) and what I will call “associated posture” (with three values: ‘standing’, ‘lying/bending’, ‘hanging’). The ninth member is a default imperfective marker that does not carry any spatial meaning. The paper challenges linguistic theories that consider grammatical(izable) concepts as belonging to a strictly limited range of notional domains from which motion and posture are excluded. Additionally, the paper provides strong support for a new comparative concept of “associated posture” in linguistics.

Paul’s Heart as Spatial Metaphor in 2 Corinthians

In 2 Cor 6:11–13, Paul states that his heart has been enlarged to welcome the Corinthians and urges them to reciprocate—although an insightful article by Christopher Land in ZNW has recently questioned this standard exegesis, which we will discuss. In 2 Cor 6:11–7:4, which functions as a peroratio of the preceding argumentation, Paul associates terms of body language (στόμα, καρδία, σπλάγχνα) with verbs of spatial meaning (πλατύνω, στενοχωρέω, χωρέω). Paul’s heart also appears in the letter as a spatial metaphor for his relationship with God ( 1:22; 3:2–3; 4:6). In our research, we will examine whether there could be a correlation between the horizontal dimension of the metaphor (Paul’s heart as a welcoming space for the Corinthians) and the vertical one (Paul’s heart as a place of encounter with God). Additionally, the heart serves Paul to establish the map of relationships in which his opponents are excluded because they boast ἐν προσώπῳ and not ἐν καρδίᾳ (5:12). In conclusion, drawing on the cognitive analysis of metaphors, we will try to highlight the semantic and pragmatic possibilities of Paul’s heart as a spatial metaphor in 2 Corinthians.

Using Case Forms for Expressing Temporal Relations in Modern Turkish Language

Many languages, including modern Turkish, employ lexemes with spatial meaning to express temporal relations. However, the Turkish language stands out for its use of case forms of nouns both to describe the spatial position and movement of objects and to establish the temporal reference of actions and events. These differences are systemic, suggest that native Turkish speakers perceive spatial and temporal phenomena in a unique way, and determine the historical change in their models of time perception. They challenge the belief that spatial relations prevail over temporal ones in the perception of the surrounding world by peoples with nomadic roots but highlight the necessity of considering materials from other Turkic languages. The results obtained show that facts from different linguistic levels should be involved to analyze how temporal relations are conveyed.

Semantic properties of prepositions

Abstract In Biblical Hebrew, both min ‘from’ and be ‘in’ are used to mark causing arguments (Agents, Instruments, Reasons, …). Reference works list the thematic roles each preposition can mark, but do not address the differences between the two. We argue that the contrast is one of ‘dominance’: min-causers are more dominant than be-causers. They can fully determine the effect, whereas the effect of a be-causer can be altered or prevented. This distinction derives from the spatial meanings of these prepositions based on an abstract spatial representation of the causal domain. The object of min is a Source or Origin, which is interpreted as being the instigator of a causal chain, and thus having dominance over that chain from instigation to effect. By contrast, the Locative preposition be describes a location close to a Ground, which is interpreted as being able to cause an effect, but not necessarily in a dominant way.

Exploring gender-based spatio-temporal patterns of informal street vending: A case study in Fangshan District, Beijing, China

Many studies have shown that, due largely to family and socio-cultural influences, women prefer part-time and flexible employment, which aligns with the character of informal street vending. However, unlike many other workers, female vendors must consider the temporary use of space and co-produce an ever-changing environment that interacts with a diverse range of people with heterogeneous demands, a phenomenon that has received little research attention. Using spatial-temporal behavior mapping and on-site observations at three street spaces in Fangshan District, Beijing, China, we examined the spatio-temporal behavioral patterns of female vendors and explored gender differences in the type, mode, spatial meaning, and time of informal vending in the Chinese urban context. Our results indicate that when vending space is limited, male vendors tend to cluster; female vendors are more dispersed, and more likely to occupy spaces with unfavorable selling environments. When there are fewer vendors on the site, female vendors sell closer to the inner side of the street (i.e., less accessibility compared with male vendors). Most female vendors sell relatively lightweight and small goods with low profit margins. Male vendors tend to occupy fixed stalls and utilize heavier transport equipment, while female vendors are more likely to be flexible in location and use lightweight transport equipment. Furthermore, female vendors are more likely than male vendors to operate during weekdays and in daylight hours than on the weekends and at night. We also attempted to understand the potential reasons for gender differences in temporary space use, and informal socio-economic co-production, in urban street contexts. Our study provides further scientific basis for the promotion of more inclusive, vibrant, and healthy urban environments by considering the largely overlooked group of informal female street vendors and their temporary inhabitation and use of urban street space.

MOTIVATIONAL MODELS OF THE SEMANTICS OF COERCION
 IN THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE

The article reveals motivational models of the formation of modal semantics of coercion in the Russian language: with the initial meaning of the use of physical force; with the initial meaning of spatial constraint, restriction; with the
 initial meaning of the location under something. The formation of the semantics of coercion can be carried out not only on the basis of semantic transference, but also in structurally derived verbs with the help of prefixed morphemes (при-,
 под-, у-), in which there is also a rethinking of the original spatial meanings of being near or under something, deletion or separation. The generating bases of such verbs are called the means or method of coercion.

REGIONALISM IN ARCHITECTURE: A STUDY OF LOCAL PERCEPTIONS ON PUBLIC STATE BUILDINGS IN WEST KALIMANTAN PROVINCE, INDONESIA

Regionalism in architecture opposes the globalized approach that disregards local identity. Understanding regionalism is crucial for preserving a region's identity through architecture. Public state buildings in Indonesia play a pivotal role in expressing regional independence through distinctive features. The architectural regionalism of West Kalimantan is defined by vertical composition, building shape, mass, spatial layout, and envelope. This research aims to examine regionalism characteristics of public state buildings in West Kalimantan by comparing them with public perception. The research involves a descriptive approach using questionnaires based on variables related to architectural regionalism. Out of the 36 iconic state buildings studied, 21 meet the regionalism criteria in West Kalimantan. These buildings share common features such as the use of local materials, responsive design to the climate, and incorporation of historical and cultural values into spatial meaning. The most influential factors in assessing the identity are roof shape, cultural symbols, and ornamentation.

Co-Constructing Community and Entrepreneurial Identity: How Founders Ascribe Self-Referential Meanings to Entrepreneurship

Drawing on a 2.5-year ethnography of first-time founders in a coworking facility, I shed light on the process by which founders ascribe self-referential meaning to entrepreneurship—that is, how they develop an entrepreneurial identity in situ. I discovered that founders’ use of the coworking space occasioned distinct interaction patterns. Over time, varying interactions played a central role in whether the workspace became a community or remained a mere office space to these founders. Such emergent spatial meanings were coupled with whether founders themselves developed as entrepreneurs or not within their workspace. Founders’ perceptions of the workspace as a community were generally associated with their identifying more as entrepreneurs, while their perceptions of the workspace as an office were usually linked with their identifying less, and even disidentifying, as entrepreneurs. In explaining these dynamics, I contribute to research on identity and space, research on entrepreneurial identity, and broader scholarship on space and interactions in organizations. For first-time founders, the meanings associated with being an entrepreneur can be equivocal, and where they work helps to shape their answers to the questions “What is entrepreneurship to me?” and “Who am I?”

Pronominal Adverbs in German: A Grammaticalization Account

Pronominal adverbs in German, which consist of da ‘there’, hier ‘here’, or wo ‘where’ as first element and a preposition as second element, like davor ‘before’, hierbei ‘hereby’, worin ‘wherein’, have often been explained by a movement of the first element out of the complement position of the preposition. This article points out some of the problems of movement analyses and presents an alternative account based on the diachronic development of pronominal adverbs. It is argued that the pattern after which pronominal adverbs are formed can be traced back to the univerbation of two adverbs with spatial meaning. This is accompanied by processes often associated with grammaticalization, such as semantic bleaching, phonological reduction, and a loss of separability in the standard variety. Some of the reduced forms are obligatory in phrasemes and particle verbs, thus constituting a split which can occur during grammaticalization. The reduction of the first element of pronominal adverbs and a doubling of the first element can be seen as part of a grammaticalization cycle.