290 JULIA A. JOLLY
positing primitives, we don't want to be concerned with spatial orientations
but only with those levels of analysis which affect the semantics of the core
arguments in the clause. In this regard, we are following the lead of FVV
analysis. In describing their system of lexical decomposition of predicates,
FVV state that their analysis does not attempt to capture the shades of
meaning differentiating, for example, give, send and hand, in contexts such
as (39) (FVV:35).
(39) Rex gave/sent/handed the package to Linda.
Rather, they concentrate on the basic entailments of these verbs, as iden
tified by Dowty, in their transfer meaning, i.e., those aspects of semantic
structure which affect macrorole and thematic relation assignment.
All of these verbs characterize the same basic event, namely the transfer of
an object {the package) from one person (Rex) to another (Linda) but the
exact nature of the transferring action differs from verb to verb. In theories
of lexical decomposition which attempt to capture the "entire meaning" of
the predicates, the representation of the semantic structure of these verbs
will reflect not only their basic transfer meaning but also the idiosyncratic
variations which differentiate them. (35)
Again, we will ignore the orientational variations between at, on and in,
positing be-at' as our locational/motion goal primitive in the lexicon. In
selecting at as the base form, we are drawing on judgments of "neutrality"
and basic form by such analysts as Creswell (1978), Bennett, Fillmore
(1971) and Herskovits (cited in Sweetser 1986). Both Creswell and Bennett
describe at as the most neutral of the locatives and via as the most neutral
of the path prepositions. In his detailed discussion of deixis, Fillmore states:
We can regard the locational and directional notions associated with at,
from, via and to as being basic, regarding all other locative or directional
concepts as being conceptually more complex. (Fillmore 1971: 11)2.4.2 Be-via'
In his description of spatial prepositions, Creswell notes that the spatial
point of view can be analyzed in terms of a journey. The point of view
taken by the describer thus depends on whether the spatial focus is the
starting point, midpoint or endpoint of the journey. "It is through the prep
osition that reference to the specific point of view is achieved." (Creswell
1978:14) The present analysis posits the primitive, be-via', as the logical
constant describing the midpoint of a spatial journey, A —» —» , just