Publications

Publication details [#1686]

Šarić, Ljiljana. 2013. Space and metaphor in verbs prefixed with od-/ot- ‘from’ in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian and Bulgarian. Oslo Studies in Language (OSLa) 5 (1) : 1–27. 27 pp.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
University of Oslo

Abstract

The article focuses on Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS) and Bulgarian (Blg.) verbs prefixed with od-/ot- ‘(away) from’. Adopting a cognitive linguistics perspective, the authors analyse metaphorical extensions of spatial meaning into non-spatial domains. Arguing that the prototypical sense of the verbs discussed involves a path and can be presented as a trajector (TR) moving away from a landmark (LM), the authors demonstrate that most non-spatial meanings of the verbs in question are derived from the idea of movement through space or a spatial path to a metaphorical or figurative movement/path. The analysis shows semantic regularities and predictable associations of abstract ideas and spatial locations across the languages examined.