Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning, and Cognition

Using a cognitive linguistics perspective, this work provides the most comprehensive, theoretical analysis of the semantics of English prepositions available. All English prepositions are originally coded as spatial relations between two physical entities. While retaining their original meaning, prepositions have also developed a rich set of non-spatial meanings. Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans argue that all the meanings are systematically related through a set of cognitive principles, emphasizing the importance of human experience with the world as the foundation for lexical meaning.

Andrea Tyler is Associate Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University. She teaches a range of courses which largely focus on applications of linguistic theory to issues of second language learning and teaching. She has published in numerous journals.

Vyvyan Evans is Lecturer in Linguistics at the School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences, University of Sussex. He teaches a range of courses in general linguistics at undergraduate and post-graduate level. His research focuses on conceptual structure and semantics.