HELPING STUDENTS CATCH ON AND PICK UP VERB-PARTICLE CONSTRUCTIONS

Svetlana NedelchevaShumen Universitysvetyo@yahoo.com

There is systematicity hidden behind the apparent arbitrariness.

Prototype theory (formulated in the 1970s by Eleanor Rosch in her study "Natural Categories")

Categorization in cognitive science;

Features of a bird - [+feathers], [+beak] and [+ability to fly];

Central and peripheral members of a category

Prototype theory has also been applied in

linguistics.

Furniture - a noun, no plural form

Bird and horse vs. furniture

Smile, see, and run vs. must

Small, beautiful, and happy vs. asleep (*an asleep cat).

The semantics of ON

Contact with a surface, e.g. The cat is on the mat; feed on, gorge on, put on, pull on, put on, switch on, etc.

Support, e.g. be based on, build on, capitalize on, count on, depend on, fix on, be founded on, model on, rely on, etc.

Potential contact, e.g. border on, front on, round on, etc.

TR

T R

The semantics of ON Focus of attention, e.g. bring on,

call on, cast on, chance on, cheat on, check on, concentrate on, etc.

Topic, e.g. expand on, dwell on, chew on, crap on, gabble on, etc.

Goal oriented, e.g. close on, come on, converge on, descend on, etc.

Continuing (progressing), e.g. carry on, draw on, drive on, drone on, follow on, hurry on, keep on, linger on, move on, etc.

T RT R

Contact with a surface

Support Potential contact

Focus of attention

Topic Goal oriented

Continuing

Total: 231 VPC with on

Continuing sense

Topic sensePotential-contact

senseContact sense

Focus-of-attention sense Support sense

Goal-oriented sense

The semantics of UP – 435 VPC with up

Upwards, e.g. bob up, beam up, get up, go up, grow up, pick up, etc.

More, e.g. add up, brighten up, fatten up, heap up, heat up, pile up, etc.

Improvement/damage, e.g. brush up, catch up, cheer up, dress up, freshen up / break up, blow up, chop up, etc.

Completion, e.g. drink up, block up, blow up, bottle up, box up, etc.

T RT R

T R

Upward

More

Improvement Damage

Completion

Completion

Enclosed, safe, protected, covered, e.g. bang up, bandage up, box up, buckle up, colour up, etc.

Depletion, e.g. blot up, dry up, etc.

Goal reached, e.g. brew up, boot up, bunch up, button up, cash up, catch up, etc.

End of activity, finish, e.g. belt up, block up, bag up, clam up, clog up, close up, etc.

Future work

An idea how to teach VPC more effectively

Hasn’t been tested An experiment should be performed Statistical results acquired Would probably reveal certain gaps

in our thinking Will lead to new insightful analyses

Bibliography http://www.slideshare.net/paulakz/phrasal-verbs-with-on

Longman Phrasal Verbs Dictionary. 2000. Pearson Education Limited.

Nedelcheva, S. 2013. Space, Time and Human Experience: A Cognitive View on English and Bulgarian Prepositions. Shumen Univerrsity Publishing House, Shumen.

Rosch, E.H. 1973. "Natural categories". Cognitive Psychology 4 (3): 328–50.

Tyler, A., Evans, V. 2003. The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wittgenstein, L. 1953. Philosophical investigations. (Anscombe, G.E.M., trans.). Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

THANK YOU for your attention