A CONSTRUCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF BODILY MOTION EXPRESSIONS

Abstract

This paper examines the kind of motion expressions with verbs relating to contact and those relating to exerting force exemplified by John wiped his hand across his mouth and John pushed his hands into his pockets, where the body-part object must obligatorily be followed by a path phrase. It is pointed out that these apparently similar expressions manifest divergent properties as to the range of body-part objects and passivisation. A close examination of the interaction between verbs and constructions within the framework of Construction Grammar shows that the two groups of verbs acquire the bodily motion usage through different processes. It is also shown that the two differ as to the degree of conflict between the body part and its owner.