Prototypical meaning of prepositions: analysis of the nuclear meaning of by, for, of, to, with, in, from and towards in young people from western Mexico.

Abstract

Within the framework of cognitive grammar (CG), it is considered that every particle of the language carries a meaning that is in turn pragmatic (Llopis-García, 2011). One of the main concepts in CG is that of the prototype, the nuclear meaning “which is the most representative concept of each category” (Llopis-García, 2011, p.93); according to Navarro-Carrasco (2021), it is the best example that comes to the speaker's mind about a word in the language.

CG is of utmost importance in its use in language classes, since it helps the learner to understand grammatical content by understanding the cognitive process behind the structures. It is natural that the teaching of prepositions becomes a focus of interest for cognitive teachers, as can be seen in works such as that of Jordina Frago (2020) and Martha Jurado (2019), where an attempt is made to implement the prototypical meaning for the teaching of different prepositions.

In this work, we agree on the positive value of implementing GC in ELE classrooms, and we support any attempt to implement it, especially in topics as abstract as prepositions, which are normally limited to teaching memorization, uses and exceptions. But how can we teachers be sure that the prototype we teach is the real prototype that most speakers think of?

That is why we decided to look for the prototype of the prepositions por/para/en/de/a/con/desde/hacia in native university speakers from western Mexico. This work shows the nuclear meanings obtained after the survey.