A STUDY OF SEMNTIC STRUCTURES OF ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS IN TERMS OF THE ARTICLE-NUMBER SYSTEM OF ENGLISH NOUN USAGE
| Project/Area Number |
07610486
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
英語・英米文学
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| Research Institution | KANSAI UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
ODA Minoru KANSAI UNIVERSITY,FACULTY OF LETTERS,PROFESSOR, 文学部, 教授 (30030274)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1995 – 1996
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 1996)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥100,000)
Fiscal Year 1996: ¥100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥100,000)
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| Keywords | English prepositions / English nouns / semantic structures / the article-number system / dimensional recognition / THROUGH / BY / WITH / ユークリッド幾何学的次元認識 / line / surface / area / start / path / goal |
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| Research Abstract |
The purpose of this research is to identify the semantic features of main English prepositions, not only through serial recognition of their dimensional properties, but by analyzing the article-number morphemes of nouns that follow these prepositions. Many sentences that exempliphy close relations between semantic functions and syntactic distinctions were collected and examined, and the results obtained are as follows :
(1) Understanding of English 'place' prepositions only in terms of geometrical distinction of serial dimensions is not sufficient and inadequate in some crucial points, and recognition of some ontological features in semantic interactions between space and things or events is indispensable for right and proper interpretation of essential meanings of English prepositions. Some problems in the dimensional interpretation now prevalent were pointed out and discussed in the paper read at the meeting of Research Society of English Philology and Linguistics, Kansai University, and it appeared, revised and enlarged, in the second issue of Bungaku Ronshu Volume 46 in October 1996.
(2) Then, as a pilot research for the more extensive and comprehensive study of English prepositions, investigation was made into the semantic properties of THROUGH based on the model of G.Lakoff's study of OVER.In this research 'path-movement' is shown to be the pivotal property of this preposition and it is asserted that THROUGH should be classified among the IN type prepositions. The paper was read in the colloquium "Understanding Natural Languages" on January 27,1996, and its revised version will appear in one of the 1997 issues of Bungaku Ronshu.
This much of preliminary research work done, the years 1997-98 will see more detailed and more systematic study of the most basic group of English prepositions AT/ON/IN,and it is expected that the publication of the results obtained as a monograph will consummate this morpho-semantic study of English prepositions in 1999.
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Report
(3 results)
Research Products
(11 results)
