O prijedlogu na u vremenskim sintaksičkim konstrukcijama
ON THE PREPOSITION NA IN TEMPORAL SYNTACTIC CONSTRUCTIONS

Summary/Abstract: The semantic concept of intralocalization expressed by the preposition na + NP locative/accusative is metaphorically copied from the spatial sphere into the temporal one. Two concepts are copied: 1. the concept of “contiguity” and “spatial coincidence”, which becomes “coincidence” in the temporal domain (na + NP locative) and 2. the concept of “reached goal/destination”, which becomes “point of reference” in the temporal domain (na + NP accusative). None of these concepts has wide range of use in contemporary Bosnian. The constructions denoting temporal intralocalizatioan of “coincidence” type (na + NP locative) are little developed. Their characteristic is punctual focusing of the temporal unit, but static perspective of the scenario. They include only some expressions denoting time implicitly as events (na svadbi) and, to some extent, those denoting the main spheres of human temporal orientation (na početku). Quite little developed constructions are those denoting temporal intralocalizatioan of “reference point” type, which are expressed by the preposition na + NP accusative. Very few temporal expressions can occur in these constructions, mainly names of the seasons (na proljeće) and holidays (na Bajram). Because the construction na + NP accusative shares the same semantic matrix as the construction u + NP accusative, it is reasonable to assume delimited use of the two constructions, that is the functional specialization of the former and the latter, respectively, to combine with different semantic types of temporal expressions. It can be shown that the assumption holds and that the delimitation is either grammatically or semantically motivated. In this respect the preposition u has a much wider range of use.

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