KIẾN GIẢI SỰ CHUYỂN DI Ý NGHĨA CỦA GIỚI TỪ IN, AT, ON TỪ KHÔNG GIAN SANG PHI KHÔNG GIAN: TIẾP CẬN TỪ MÔ HÌNH ĐA KHÔNG GIAN KẾT HỢP

Abstract

Research on the polysemy of English spatial prepositions has traditionally relied on static geometric models or discrete radial networks, often overlooking the functional dynamics governing interaction between the trajector (TR) and the landmark (LM). This article proposes a refined conceptual model, termed Multi-space Theory, to provide a preliminary cognitive account of the semantic transference mechanisms mapping spatial meanings to non-spatial meanings across three prepositions: in, at, and on. The analytical framework systematically integrates Deane's (2005) Multimodal Image Theory (MIT) and Kövecses's (2020) Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Extended CMT). The data were sampled from Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind and processed via AntConc software (version 4.3.1). The qualitative analyses demonstrate that semantic transference from the prototypical spatial scene into the target Mental Space is jointly driven by image-schema transformations and conceptual metaphorical/metonymic mappings. Crucially, this study argues that beyond the three established sensorimotor spaces (Visual, Maneuver, and Kinetic), each preposition inherently encodes a distinctive Functional Space, associated with boundary-based containment control (in), with supporting and activating surfaces (on), and with coordinate coincidence and localized engagement (at). The primary theoretical contribution lies in establishing a conceptual bridge explaining how functional affordances abstract to shape non-spatial mental constructs, providing initial evidence to overcome the purely geometric limitations of preceding paradigms.