Organizing Verb-Particle Constructions Cognitively: The Case Of On And Up
Organizing Verb-Particle Constructions Cognitively: The Case Of On And Up

Summary/Abstract: This study gives some insights how to assist foreign language learners of English, not just students but teachers and translators as well, to understand and memorize more easily verb-particle constructions so that they can use them in speaking and writing. Following the cognitive linguistic approach we claim that particles are not purely idiomatic but rather build clusters of related meanings and can be used in a quite motivated way. The paper focuses on two of the most frequently used particles: ON and UP. The analysis aims to demonstrate that these particles are polysemous and their meanings derive from a central locative meaning which gives rise to figurative extensions. These abstract meanings develop systematically and this systematicity, hidden behind the apparent arbitrariness, should be explored if we would like to reduce the weight of foreign language memory work.

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