Following Locations Across Languages: Spatial Meanings and Concepts in Cross-Linguistic Perspective

Because meaning involves connections between the forms of language and the conceptual system, it can be fruitfully examined from either of two different perspectives. Taking linguistic forms as a starting point, meaning can be examined through the lens of lexical semantics, through questions about what semantic features are encoded by individual lexical items. In addition, by taking the conceptual system as a starting point, meaning can be probed through the examination of concepts and connections within the conceptual system, as distributed over the semantic system of a language or languages. In this paper, I take a cross-linguistic perspective on both these lines of questioning, uncovering insights into the nature of meaning as an interplay between linguistic forms and conceptual understanding.