2.2.2. Path-type languages

ISSN: 1139-8736
Depósito Legal: B-48039-2000

Other languages conflate in the meaning of the verb the motion and the Path. Semitic, Polynesian and Romance languages seem to be of this type. For Talmy, "Spanish is a perfect example of the type", as illustrated by a wide range of sentences (69-70):

(2.10) Spanish expressions of Motion (non-agentive) with Path conflation
a. La botella entró a [ sic] la cueva (flotando)
    the bottle moved-in to the cave (floating)
    ‘The bottle floated into the cave’
b. La botella salió de la cueva (flotando)
    the bottle moved-out from the cave (floating)
    ‘The bottle floated out of the cave’
c. La botella pasó por la piedra (flotando)
    the bottle moved-by past the rock(floating)
    ‘The bottle floated past the rock’
d. La botella pasó por el tubo (flotando)
    the bottle moved-through through the pipe (floating)
    ‘The bottle floated through the pipe’
e. El globo subió por la chimenea (flotando)
    the balloon moved-up through the chimney (floating)
    ‘The balloon floated up the chimney.
f. El globo bajó por la chimenea (flotando)
    the balloon moved-down through the chimney (floating)
    ‘The balloon floated down the chimney’
g. La botella se fué [ sic] de la orilla (flotando)
    the bottle moved-away from the bank (floating)
    ‘The bottle floated away from the bank’
h. La botella volvió a la orilla (flotando)
    the bottle moved-back to the bank (floating)
    ‘The bottle floated back to the bank’
i. La botella le dió vuelta [ sic] a la isla (flotando)
    the bottle to-it gave turn to the island (floating)
    ‘ The bottle floated around the island’
j. La botella cruzó el canal (flotando)
    the bottle moved-across the canal (floating)
    ‘The bottled floated across the canal’
k. La botella iba por el canal (flotando)
    the bottle moved-along along the canal (floating)
    ‘The bottled floated along the canal’
l. La botella andaba por el canal (flotando)
    the bottle moved-about about the canal (floating)
    ‘The bottled floated around the canal’
m. Las dos botellas se juntaron (flotando)
    the two bottles moved-together (floating)
    ‘The two bottles floated together’
n. Las dos botellas se separaron (flotando)
    the two bottles moved-apart (floating)
    ‘The two bottles floated apart’

The normal translation of all of these sentences into English would appear with the verb float with different prepositions, strikingly showing the different lexicalization patterns of the two languages. The manner of motion in Spanish is in parenthesis because, in most occasions, it is omitted as irrelevant since it is the default manner of movement of a bottle or a balloon in those contexts.

In the agentive forms, Spanish also conflates the path in the verb. The manner, and the cause, if present, appear as adverbials: (70-1)

(2.11) Spanish expressions of Motion (agentive) with conflation of Path
a. Metí el barril a [ sic] la bodega rodándolo
I moved in the keg to the storeroom rolling it
'I rolled the keg into the storeroom'
b. Saqué el corcho de la botella retorciéndolo
I moved out the cork from the bottle twisting it
'I twisted the cork out of the bottle'
c. Tumbé el árbol serruchándolo // a hachazos /con un hacha
I felled the tree sawing it by ax chops with an ax
'I sawed // chopped the tree down'
d. Quité el papel del paquete cortándolo
I moved off the paper from the package cutting it.
'I cut the wrapper off the package'

Talmy notices that among the agentive forms, the verbs of "putting" involve in Spanish different verb forms for the separate distinctions of Path as seen in the following table (71):

Spanish "putting" verbs, differing according to distinctions of Path
(A= Agent, F= Figure object, G= Ground object)

A poner F en G A put F onto G

A meter F a G A put F into G

A subir F a G A put F up (on)to G

A juntar F₁ & F₂ A putF₁ & F₂

A quitar F de G A take F off G

A sacar F de A take F out of G

A bajar F de G A take F down from G

A separar F₁ & F₂ A take F₁ & F₂apart

Talmy remarks that although at first it might seem that English is using put and take incorporating the notion of Path, an alternative view is to consider them as "simply suppletive forms of a single more general and non-directional 'putting' notion, where the specific form that is to appear at the surface is determined completely by the particular Path particle and/or preposition present" (71).

Talmy notes that English also has verbs that incorporate Path, as in the Spanish case. Verbs such as enter, exit, pass, rise, descend, return, circle, cross, separate, join. These verbs require a type of sentence similar to the Spanish type, with manner or cause expressed in a separate constituent as in The rock passed by our tent (in sliding). But he points out that these verbs are not the most characteristic in English, and that most of them are borrowings precisely from Romance.

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ISSN: 1139-8736
Depósito Legal: B-48039-2000

Spanish "putting" verbs, differing according to distinctions of Path (A= Agent, F= Figure object, G= Ground object)
A poner F en G	A put F onto G
A meter F a G	A put F into G
A subir F a G	A put F up (on)to G
A juntar F₁ & F₂	A putF₁ & F₂
A quitar F de G	A take F off G
A sacar F de	A take F out of G
A bajar F de G	A take F down from G
A separar F₁ & F₂	A take F₁ & F₂apart