Syntax-semantics mapping of locative arguments

This paper proposes a syntax-semantics correspondence of locative expressions: This proposal is based on the syntactic hierarchy among three locative structures (PPs, VPs, and verbal affixes) and the semantic hierarchy among four locative arguments (Goal, Source, Symmetric Path, Stative Location). As for the syntactic hierarchy, the verbal affixes are closer to the head verb than the locative/path verbs are, and the locative/path verbs than the locative PPs. As for the semantic hierarchy, the following four arguments form a hierarchy due to their semantic closeness to the motion event: Goal > S-Path > Source > St-Location. (cf. Nam 1995, 2004) We argue for this correspondence claim by identifying some crucial typological implications holding between the syntactic/semantic hierarchies.