Thèse de doctorat : LINGUISTIQUE : Metz : 1997. / 1997METZ018L. 93 ref.

Thesis (M. A. (Translation Studies and Linguistics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / The aim of this study is to find out whether or not there are locative prepositions in Xitsonga. If so, to determine if they are true prepositions, their functions and the difference between locative prepositions and locatives. The locative case theory is adopted. Data are collected using telephone interviews from a sample of 10 Xitsonga grade 12 language teachers in Mopani district, Limpopo, South Africa. This study finds that there is one locative preposition namely, eka in Xitsonga. This preposition has three forms e-, eka and (-) ka which is also a locative preposition. These forms appear with proper nouns, common nouns, abstract nouns and collective nouns. The forms e- and ka also appear with locatives derived from noun classes 16 and 18, whereby the form e- is omitted when the existential morpheme le (there) is present in a sentence. The form e- also appears with locatives derived in noun class 17. The Xitsonga locative preposition is one of its kind because it has morphemes that contribute in the formation of locatives indicating position. It is recommended that studies of a similar kind should be done to find out more information about prepositions, more especially locative prepositions.

The present thesis deals with the variation of prepositions na and v(e) in the contemporary Czech. On the basis of the previous literature it follows the distribution of these prepositions and their morpho-syntactical relations. The attention is focused on the description of linguistic collocations based on corpus-analysis of several nouns. Furthemore, the hypothesis for using the prepositions are outlined. The results of the analysis are used for the last part of the thesis - the sociolinguistic research. The aim of this thesis is to describe the distribution of the prepositions and point out some differences on some representative examples.

This study investigates the polysemy of the preposition מִן (min) in Biblical Hebrew. The complexity relating to the senses of this preposition has long been recognised, but existing sources differ about the primary sense of מִן (min), as well as the delimitation of the derived senses. In order to provide a more systematic account of the senses of מִן (min) the principled polysemy approach, which was developed by Tyler and Evans (2003), was employed. This methodology is grounded in the theoretical framework of cognitive semantics. The criteria provided for determining the primary sense point to a sense in which מִן (min) indicates both locational source and separation. These two elements are both present in the primary sense. By applying criteria for determining distinct senses, ten additional usages of מִן (min) were identified, namely, material source, partitive, cause, agent, origin, position, exception, comparison, negative consequence, and time. It was shown that all these senses are related to the primary sense in a substantiated way. A semantic network for the preposition מִן (min) was proposed in which it was shown that half of the senses are more related to the source element in the primary sense and the other half to the separation element of the primary sense. / MA (Semitic Languages), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This study investigates the polysemy of the preposition מִן (min) in Biblical Hebrew. The complexity relating to the senses of this preposition has long been recognised, but existing sources differ about the primary sense of מִן (min), as well as the delimitation of the derived senses. In order to provide a more systematic account of the senses of מִן (min) the principled polysemy approach, which was developed by Tyler and Evans (2003), was employed. This methodology is grounded in the theoretical framework of cognitive semantics. The criteria provided for determining the primary sense point to a sense in which מִן (min) indicates both locational source and separation. These two elements are both present in the primary sense. By applying criteria for determining distinct senses, ten additional usages of מִן (min) were identified, namely, material source, partitive, cause, agent, origin, position, exception, comparison, negative consequence, and time. It was shown that all these senses are related to the primary sense in a substantiated way. A semantic network for the preposition מִן (min) was proposed in which it was shown that half of the senses are more related to the source element in the primary sense and the other half to the separation element of the primary sense. / MA (Semitic Languages), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This paper presents an analysis of the errors in the use of prepositions made in written English by Brazilian students.The errors shown here are the basis for explaining the difficulties Brazilian-Portuguese speakers have in selecting the correct prepositions according to the context. This analysis will account for the causes of errors such as interference, false analogies, carelessness, or insufficient knowledge of the English grammar.The data used for this study was collected in three Brazilian schools: a state high school and a private College in Barbacena, Minas Gerais, and a BI-National Center in Rio de Janeiro (Insituto Cultural Brasil-Estados Unidos).A total of 48 compositions were analyzed. Three topics were selected to provide the students a chance to use a great number of prepositions& "A Day in My Life", "People of Rio", and "My Last Trip".The errors encountered were classified according to the possible cause for errors. This classification shows the basic reasons for difficulties in using prepositions in English by Brazilian-Portuguese speakers, which was the first concern of this paper.The final results of this analysis show that interference of the mother tongue, either under the form of pure interference, the form of translation, or the use of other grammatical facts constitutes the greatest factor responsible for errors. The conclusion shows that the high percentage of 59.5 percent of errors is due to pure interference, 18.1 per cent is due to translation, 4.9 per cent to the use of the possessive form 's, and 9.9 per cent to the use of the article. On the whole, 92.4 per cent of the errors are due to some form of interference.Besides these numbers, the final conclusions also show that prepositions cannot be analyzed as isolated units, for the errors were-greatly influenced by other aspects of the target language such as the use of two-word verbs, expressions used with certain prepositions, grammatical facts, and vocabulary influences.

Using the combined approach of Variationist Sociolinguistics and Cognitive Linguistics, this thesis undertakes the classification and analysis of certain prepositions in spoken Quebec French. The study examines 21 interviews that make up part of the Corpus de français parlé au Québec (CFPQ). The aim of this thesis is to examine the use of the variables expressing the concept of ‘possession’, and those equivalent to English before/in front of and after/behind. These three variables are represented as (POSS), (ANTE) and (POST). An initial quantification of the variants is carried out, which establishes the contexts of production, and helps determine the areas of linguistic analysis to be explored. For the (POSS) variable, the data is examined in terms of linguistic factors such as the reference of the possessor, the avoidance of hiatus, and inalienable/alienable possession. Interpersonal variation is also considered, including age and gender in addition to level of education. From the Cognitive Linguistic perspective, we investigate ‘reference point theory’ and how it can shed light on the alternation between the variants. The (ANTE) and (POST) variables are studied in terms of the type of reference (i.e. locative or temporal), the locating noun category, and the age, sex, and level of education of the speakers. The Cognitive Linguistic theory of ‘subjectification’ is also considered for these two variables. For the (POSS) variable, the reference of the possessor and the level of education are seen to be important factors for the use of possessive à. In addition, the ‘reference point theory’ contributes to our understanding of the use of this variant. With the (ANTE) and (POST) variables certain variants are seen to be employed both with and without an overt complement. The variant devant is predominantly found in contexts involving narrative discourse, and the variants en avant and en avant de are preferred for locative reference. Once again, the Cognitive Sociolinguistic approach highlights the possibility that the difference in variant choice is linked to the speakers’ cognitive construal of the situation.

The complexity of English prepositions has always been a challenge for second language (L2) learners (Celce-Muricia & Larsen-Freeman, 1999). Cognitive linguists have made a substantial amount of effort of analyzing the semantic representations of the prepositions (Lakoff, 1987; Talmy, 2000; Tyler & Evans, 2003; Lindstromberg, 2010). Schematic drawings, with variation among studies, are proposed to visualize the conceptual representations and to connect the basic spatial senses (e.g., in a box) with the more abstract, metaphorical senses (e.g., in love) of prepositions. Some empirical studies (Tyler, 2012; Tyler, Mueller & Ho, 2010) found positive learning outcomes when L2 learners were taught prepositions with cognitive linguistics methods. Yet, few studies provided step-by-step descriptions of their instructional procedures. Inadequate information of exactly what was going on in these classrooms makes it difficult to replicate or to compare across studies. / The current study is an experimental study that investigates the effects of teaching English prepositions with cognitive linguistics methods in a computer-based tutorial system. Our main research question is to see whether cognitive linguistic approach outperforms traditional explicit instruction. The participants of the present study were 64 Cantonese learners of English, at Secondary 4 level, from a Hong Kong secondary school with English as the medium of instruction. They were randomly assigned to one of the four groups: 1) schema feedback (SF); 2) rule feedback (RF); 3) corrective feedback (CF); and 4) control group (receiving training on English articles). The first three groups received training on three prepositions (in, at, over) through the online interface shown in Figure 1. On each screen they were presented with a picture stimulus and two minimal-pair sentences that only differed on the prepositions (e.g., Ben jumped over the ditch vs. Ben jumped towards the ditch). They were asked to choose the sentence that matched the picture. They were provided with immediate feedback. The SF group (Figure 1) was given the schematic drawing mapped with the sentence as well as a verbal explanation of the mapping. The RF group was given a metalinguistic explanation of the preposition usage with three example sentences. The CF group was informed of whether their choice was correct or wrong. All the four groups went through the same procedure with three sessions: a pretest, training (balanced time across groups), and a posttest. The tests were composed of two parts: a cloze test and a translation test, both at the sentential level. / The findings showed no significant difference in terms of accuracy of performance among the four groups at the pretest. But at the posttest, there was a significant difference between the three preposition training groups and the control group. This finding suggests positive instructional effects of the tutor. Regarding the distinction of feedback, a marginal significant difference was observed among the SF, RF, and CF groups at the posttests and such difference only came from the translation test. That indicates that the amount and the type of information that were provided to the participants did not matter for cloze test but did create superiority effect in the production test, when they were instructed with a minimal-pair paradigm and also with the help of the picture stimuli.[with diagram] / 英語介詞，因其複雜性，對於第二語言（L2）學習者一直是學習上的一個挑戰（Celce-Muricia & Larsen-Freeman, 1999）。認知語言學家一直努力分析介詞的語義表述（Lakoff, 1987; Talmy, 2000; Tyler & Evans, 2003; Lindstromberg, 2010）。有研究提出以不同的圖像模組將概念表述形像化及連接基本的空間意義（例如，in a box）及較抽象的隱喻意義（例如，in love）。一些實證研究（Tyler, 2012; Tyler, Mueller & Ho, 2010）中，發現第二語言學習者以認知語言學的方法學習介詞時，學習成果會較好。然而，很少有研究詳細地描述自己的教學過程，因此資訊的不足令它其難以模仿或比較不同的研究。 / 目前的研究是一個實驗性的研究以探討在電腦系統上以認知語言學的方法教導介詞的效果。主要研究的問題是，究竟認知語言學的方法（圖像模組）能否超越傳統教學方法（給予明確指引）。研究的參加者是64位以廣東話作為母語，在香港中學就讀中四的英語學習者。他們被隨機分配到四個組別中的其中一個組別：1）圖像模組的反饋（SF）;2）規則和例子的反饋（RF）;3）糾正反饋（CF）和4）對照組（接受英語冠詞的訓練）。前三組會透過線上練習（圖1）接受3個介詞（in, at, over）的訓練。每個練習上會有一幅圖片及一組對比句子（兩句句子不同之處只在於介詞，例如Ben jumped over the ditch vs. Ben jumped towards the ditch）。他們需要選擇其中一句句子用以正確描述練習中的圖片而系統亦會即時向他們提供反饋。SF組（圖1）的反饋包括匹配練習中的圖片的圖像模組及對該模組的文字解釋。。RF組的反饋是提供該介詞在文法上的用法及一般規則並同時給予三個相關例句。CF組則只會獲告知他們在練習中的選擇是正確或錯誤。四個組別都會經歷前期測驗，訓練（各組的訓練時間相約）和後期測驗。測驗由兩個部份組成：句子層級上的填充選擇測驗及翻譯測驗。 / 調查結果顯示，四個組別在前期測驗中的表現並沒有顯著的差異。但在後期測驗中，三個有接受介詞訓練的組別和對照組之間有著的顯著的差異。這一發現表明了研究中的電腦導師對教導介詞有正面的影響。而不同反饋組別（SF，RF和CF組）在後期測驗中則有著邊緣顯著差異，而這差異僅來自翻譯測驗。這結果顯示當研究參加者接受對比教學及圖像刺激時，提供予他們的信息數量及種類對理解型的測驗並沒有太大影響；相反，對運用型的測驗則非常顯著的效果。，當他們被指示具有最小配對模式，也與畫面刺激的幫助。[附圖] / Wong, Man Ho Ivy. / Thesis M.Phil. Chinese University of Hong Kong 2015. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-160). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on 18, October, 2016). / Wong, Man Ho Ivy. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only.

Numerous linguistic studies have been done to substantiate the importance of prepositions in the English language. However, no normative studies have been done on the acquisition of expressing prepositions. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if there were demonstrable trends which would indicate a need for normative data on the acquisition of twenty-six prepositions tested on the Expressive Preposition Test (EPT). The study set out to determine at what age levels a given percentage of the prepositions were expressively acquired and if the socioeconomic status (SES) of the child’s family would be a determiner as to the age at which the child would expressively use prepositions. The EPT was administered to a total of thirty-six children between the ages of four and nine years. One-half of the children were from families of low SES and one-half were from families of high SES. The results show a high correlation between the age of the children and their ability to express prepositions. Each age group up through the eight-year-olds expressed a progressively higher percentage of the prepositions. A statement of positive correlation between intelligence-SES and EPT-SES was made in that those subjects in the high SES group scored higher on the intelligence quotient and EPT scores. Correlation coefficients indicate a slight correlation between the children’s intelligence quotient which ranged from 86-115 and their ability to express prepositions.

<p>This essay investigates native Swedish speakers’ problems in the area of prepositions. A total of 19 compositions, including 678 prepositions, written by native Swedish senior high school students were analysed. All the prepositions in the material were judged as either basic, systematic or idiomatic. Then all the errors of substitution, addition and omission were counted and corrected. As hypothesised, least errors were found in the category of basic prepositions and most errors were found in the category of idiomatic prepositions. However, the small difference between the two categories of systematic and idiomatic prepositions suggests that the learners have greater problems with systematic prepositions than what was first thought to be the case. Basic prepositions cause little or no problems. Systematic prepositions, i.e. those that are rule governed or whose usage is somehow generalisable, seem to be quite problematic to native Swedish speakers. Idiomatic prepositions seem to be learnt as ‘chunks’, and the learners are either aware of the whole constructions or do not use them at all. They also cause some problems for Swedish speakers. Since prepositions are often perceived as rather arbitrary without rules to sufficiently describe them, these conclusions might not be surprising to teachers, students and language learners. The greatest error cause was found to be interference from Swedish, and a few errors could be explained as intralingual errors. It seems as if the learners’ knowledge of their mother tongue strongly influences the acquisition of English prepositions.</p>