Open AccessThe metaphorical use of "on"
Author(s) -
Ignasi Navarro Ferrando
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of english studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1695-4300
pISSN - 1576-6357
DOI - 10.18172/jes.47
Subject(s) - schema (genetic algorithms) , image schema , computer science , literal and figurative language , conceptual schema , natural language processing , chaotic , artificial intelligence , linguistics , information retrieval , psychology , philosophy , cognition , cognitive linguistics , recall , neuroscience
An attempt is made at refuting the idea that figurative uses of prepositions are chaotic. Figurative uses of the preposition on are explained as the result of metaphorical mappings from the physical domain onto abstract domains. The semantic structure of this preposition in the source domain is explained as a conceptual schema (support), which is formed as a combination of three more basic image schemas, namely, the contact schema, the control schema, and the force downwards schema. The Invariance Principle guarantees the preservation of the logic of these image schemas in target domains. The selection of a particular target domain is, therefore, motivated.