Spatial Geometry of Distinct Usages of Contemporary Persian Preposition 'ruye' from Cognitive Linguistics View

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Linguistics Department of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

Abstract

This study examines the spatial geometry of the Persian preposition 'ruye' (on/upon) within the framework proposed by Talmy (2000). The Hamshahri corpus served as the primary source for data collection; all occurrences of the preposition 'ruye' were extracted through a keyword search. After filtering out irrelevant data, the Figure, the Ground, and the nature of the relationship between them were identified and categorized for each sentence in accordance with the study's theoretical framework, ultimately revealing eight distinct usages of the preposition. Following an analysis of the spatial geometry of these usages, at least one image schema was proposed for each. In some instances, it was observed that the presence of a functional factor could cause the geometric properties to differ significantly—or even stand in direct opposition—to the prototypical configuration. Two functional factors were observed in the usage of the preposition 'ruye': One is the "physical support" provided by the ground to the figure—a feature noted in previous studies—and the other, which constitutes a specific finding of this research, is the "surface-level agency" of the figure upon the ground. Additional findings include the influence of the viewing angle and reflectional asymmetry on the choice of this preposition, as well as the role of other lexical groups in determining the direction of the figure's movement within the dynamic geometries associated with 'ruye'.

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References

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Journal of Linguistics & Iranian Languages
Volume 11, Issue 1
February 2026
Pages 1-23

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History

  • Receive Date: 05 June 2026
  • Revise Date: 03 August 2026
  • Accept Date: 10 August 2026

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