Diachronic change in the semantic configuration of six verb-preposition combinations

Abstract

In this paper we analyse the semantic load that prepositions In and On contribute to six verb-preposition combinations following the syntactic pattern “V + prep. + n/pron.”. The analysis is grounded on real language use examples extracted from two different corpora belonging to two different historical periods of the English language (present Contemporary English and Early Modern English). Our main aim is to check whether the semantic configuration of each one of these combinations is maintained or has undergone some change over time. If diachronic change has been the case, the purpose of the paper is also to show the role of topology, dynamics and function in sense extensions, as well as the patterns of these extensions. Semantic extension grounded on basic topological senses may show a difference to those semantic changes originated in functional senses.