Universal #1509

Legacy number: 1509

 Number  1505
 Original  The endpoint polysemy prediction:
The use of a single lexeme to denote either static location in some configuration or motion into that configuration will be more likely to appear in a language than the use of a single lexeme to denote either static location in a configuration or motion “out of” that configuration.
 Standardized  IF there is a single lexeme to denote either static location in a configuration or motion “out of” that configuration, THEN there will be a single lexeme to denote either static location in some configuration or motion into that configuration.
 Keywords  motion, adposition
 Domain  lexicon, semantics
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  English, German (both W. Germanic, Indo-European), Russian (Slavic, Indo-European), Bengali (Indo-Iranian, Indo-European), Mixtec (Mixtecan, Oto-Manguean)
 Source  Regier 1993: 481

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Discussion
Notes
This prediction states that lexemes such as English or German “in”, which can denote either static location inside or motion into the region inside, are more likely than are lexemes like the fictitious spatial term “in/out-of”, which denotes either static location inside or motion out of the region inside.Similarly, lexemes such as Russian “pod”, meaning either location underneath or motion to the region underneath, are more likely than are lexemes like the fictious Russian “pod/iz-pod”, meaning either location underneath or motion out from underneath.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
This prediction states that lexemes such as English or German "in", which can denote either static location inside or motion into the region inside, are more likely than are lexemes like the fictitious spatial term "in/out-of", which denotes either static location inside or motion out of the region inside.
Similarly, lexemes such as Russian "pod", meaning either location underneath or motion to the region underneath, are more likely than are lexemes like the fictious Russian "pod/iz-pod", meaning either location underneath or motion out from underneath.