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)
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.
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.