A semantic analysis of the verbal prefix o(b)-in Croatian (with Petra Mikolić). Semantička analiza glagolskog prefiksa o(b)- u hrvatskome. Croat. Slav. Iadert. xi/ii (2015), 249-283 (original) (raw)

This article analyzes the verbal prefix o(b)- in Croatian from a cognitive linguistic perspective, focusing on how its apparently different meanings relate to each other, and the extensions of its spatial meanings into non-spatial domains. The prototypical meaning of verbs prefixed with o(b)- involves a general notion of circular movement realized in concrete spatial realms: a trajector (TR) performs a circular movement around a landmark (LM). This spatial schema of circular movement can be illustrated by the motion verb optrčati ‘make a full circle by running around a certain area’. Our analysis aims to show that the central meaning, move around (an object), has a special status in the meaning network because it directly or indirectly motivates all of the other meanings. We show that the various meanings of o(b)-verbs are not a random collection of unrelated senses, but form a semantic network in which individual meanings emerge via metaphorical and metonymic extensions and relate to systematic and partially predictable applications of concrete spatial relations to abstract ideas. Keywords: verbal prefixes, o(b)- in Croatian, cognitive linguistics U radu se analizira glagolski prefix o(b)- u hrvatskome jeziku iz kognitivnolingvističke perspektive, s posebnim osvrtom na povezanost njegovih naizgled različitih značenja, te na proširenja njegovih prostornih značenja u neprostorne domene. Prototipno značenje glagola s prefiksom o(b)- uključuje ideju kružnoga kretanja u konkretnim prostornim domenama: trajektor (TR) se kružno kreće oko orijentira (LM). Ta se prostorna shema kružnoga kretanja može ilustrirati glagolom kretanja optrčati. Analiza ima za cilj pokazati da središnje značenje prefiksa o(b)-, kretanje oko, ima poseban status u značenjskoj mreži jer na izravan ili neizravan način motivira sva ostala značenja. U radu pokazujemo da različita značenja prefiksa o(b)- ne predstavljaju nasumičan zbir nepovezanih značenja, već da čine koherentnu značenjsku mrežu.

Sign up for access to the world's latest research.

checkGet notified about relevant papers

checkSave papers to use in your research

checkJoin the discussion with peers

checkTrack your impact