The methodology of sememic analysis with special application to the English preposition

This paper summarizes stratificational theory, and applies its linguistic methods in a sememic analysis of English prepositions. The phenomenon of interlocking diversification is shown to be quite generally present among the prepositions. Also, the analysis of prepositions is shown to entail a partial sememic analysis of other words; it therefore provides a starting point for the sememic analysis, on stratificational principles, of the rest of the language.