Spatial Partitioning and Localization: Internal Localization Nouns

The "topological part/object" relation is one of the five or six large part/whole relations expressed in language. In French, it is expressed through a number of nouns called "noms de localisation interne" (NLI). These NLI have many syntactic & semantic properties in common w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Langages (Paris) 1999-12, Vol.34 (136), p.53-75
Main Author: Borillo, Andree
Format: Article
Language:fre
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The "topological part/object" relation is one of the five or six large part/whole relations expressed in language. In French, it is expressed through a number of nouns called "noms de localisation interne" (NLI). These NLI have many syntactic & semantic properties in common with nouns referring to object components, Ncomp, involved in another kind of part-whole relation, but a closer study shows that the NLI/Nobject relation is to be analyzed both as a partition & a localization relation. As a partitive relation, it is quite comparable to a Ncomp/Nobject relation, at the same time, it is to be considered as a spatial relation. An explanation can be found for this mixed status if we accept the hypothesis of an evolutionary path leading from Npc (body-part nouns) to Ncomp, then on to NLI & from there eventually to spatial relational markers (prepositions & adverbs). The transition from one stage to the other is marked by an increasing effect of grammaticalization & abstraction. 18 References. Adapted from the source document
ISSN:0458-726X