Locative expressions in Korean and Turkish: A cognitive grammar approach

This dissertation examines the semantic analyses of the Korean locative particles -ey and -eyse and the Turkish locative particles -(y)A,- dA, - dAn. Specifically, this study proposes a cognitive network model of the locative expressions in Korean and Turkish based on the study of categorization of spatial and non-spatial relationships encoded in both languages, by analyzing written corpora. Utilizing the framework of Cognitive Grammar, I examine how basic spatial concepts, particularly goal, location and source, are described by employing locative particles, how spatial and non-spatial meanings interrelate to each other and what type of grammatical constructions associate with these particles. Contrary to the monosemic account, I claim that the locative particles exhibit a highly polysemous semantic structure in which each distinct sense is systematically related to every other, and their encoded meanings are not random, but conceptually motivated in a systematic manner. Thus, each proposed semantic sense forms a semantic polysemy network organized by a prototypical sense(s) and peripheral senses. I contend that in Korean the locative particle -ey has two prototypical senses, namely the Proto-Goal Sense and the Proto-Location Sense, whereas the locative particle -eyse has only one prototypical sense which is the Proto-Source Sense. In this classification, the distribution of basic spatial concepts such as goal, location and source is considered essential and universally represented in the human conceptual system. In the case of Turkish locative particles, each particle subsumes one prototypical sense; that is, the prototypical sense of the particle -(y)A is the Proto-Goal Sense, the prototypical sense of the particle - dA is the Proto-Location Sense, and the prototypical sense of the particle -dAn is the Proto-Source Sense. The prototypical senses of each particle give rise to further meanings in which extended senses occur and derive from spatio-physical human experiences.; This dissertation also aims to provide a comparative study between two SOV languages; Korean and Turkish. This study shows that semantic senses and grammatical constructions display many similarities although there are crucial differences due to the number of particles employed in locative expressions.