Svenska partikelverb med in, ut, upp och ner : En semantisk studie ur kognitivt perspektiv

Sammanfattning: In this dissertation, the meanings of the Swedish particles in ‘in’, ut ‘out’, upp ‘up’ and ner ‘down’ are analysed when these words function as verbal particles and thereby, together with the verb, build phrasal verbs. The analysis, primarily based on cognitive semantics, includes semantically regular as well as lexicalised phrasal verbs, and seeks to explain the polysemy of the particles. The material consists of 884 different phrasal verbs, represented by 5,197 instances. The verbal particles are analysed in different contexts, including the domain of physical space as well as other domains. The starting point of the analysis is, in each case, the prototypical (spatial) meaning of the particle. The investigation shows that the varied, often disparate meanings of the verbal particles are motivated by image schemas and their transformations, and by metonymy and metaphorical usage. The meanings of the particles are linked to each other through family resemblance and make up a network. The verbal particles upp and in generally designate direction towards the centre and often have positive connotations, whereas the verbal particles ut and ner denote movement towards the periphery and have rather negative connotations. Vertical orientation appears to dominate the structuring of the domain of physical space in Swedish. For example, a movement in relation to a vertically orientated container (a container without a roof) is described using the vertical particles upp/ner and not the container particles in/ut. In a few special contexts, the particles examined indicate the speaker’s perspective.