How motion verbs are spatial: The spatial foundations of intransitive motion verbs in French

Michel Aurnague
2011 Lingvisticæ investigationes  
This paper aims to bring out the spatial properties of motion eventualities by focusing on French intransitive motion verbs. After examining changes of posture and changes of placement, we introduce the concept of change of basic locative relation (J.-P. Boons 1987) in order to accurately grasp the telic processes usually characterized as changes of location. The complex combinatory possibilities as between changes of relation and changes of placement are then illustrated by pinpointing the
more » ... ors that condition the use of predicates of change of placement in utterances denoting changes of relation and placement (the notion of tendenciality). Finally, a categorization of French intransitive verbs of change of relation and placement is proposed, which is based on the way these two notions interact in their semantics.
doi:10.1075/li.34.1.01aur fatcat:gwwi4jlr6ncnla4y4zhzagchbe