Svetlana Nedelcheva
Konstantin Preslavsky University of Shumen
Abstract. This study analyses the cognitive semantics of the Bulgarian verbal prefix na- ‘on, onto’ and aims to reveal its core meaning. Using a comprehensive inventory of corpora examples, the analysis distinguishes a few subgroups of na-verbs pointing out how apparently distinct meanings correspond to the central spatial meaning in the semantic network of the spatial particle na(-) and how the different meanings of the prefix na- relate to each other. The focus is particularly on the relation between spatial and non-spatial meanings, and on the application of conceptual metaphors that contribute to a consistent and motivated meaning network of na-.
Keywords: Cognitive Linguistics; semantic relations; Bulgarian verbal prefix na-
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