Verb framing
Encyclopedia
In linguistics
, verb-framing and satellite-framing are typological descriptions of how verb phrases in different language
s describe the path of motion or the manner of motion, respectively.
Manner of motion refers to a type of distinct motion described by a particular verb, e.g., running, tumbling, sliding, walking, crawling, etc. Path of motion refers to the direction of the movement, e.g., movement into, out of, across, etc. These two concepts can be encoded in the verb as part of its root meaning, or in a separate particle associated to the verb (a satellite).
Languages are considered verb-framed or satellite-framed based on how the motion path is encoded. English
verbs use particles
to show the path of motion ('run into', 'go out', 'fall down'), and its verbs usually show manner of motion; thus English is a satellite-framed language. English verbs that counter this tendency are mostly Latin
ate, such as "exit", "ascend", or "enter".
All Germanic languages
are satellite-framed languages. Accordingly, 'to go out' is hinausgehen in German
, uitgaan in Dutch
and gå ut in Swedish
, wherein gehen / gaan / gå are equivalents of 'to go', and hinaus / uit / ut are equivalents of 'out'. In this manner, Germanic languages can form all kinds of compounds, even less manifest ones like (German) hinaustanzen 'to dance out' and so on.
On the other hand, all Romance languages are verb-framed. Spanish
, for example, makes heavy use of verbs of motion like entrar, salir, subir, bajar ('go in, go out, go up, go down'), which directly encode motion path, and may leave out the manner of motion or express it in a complement of manner (typically a participle
): entró corriendo 'he ran in', literally 'he entered running'; salió flotando 'it floated out', literally 'it exited floating'.
The same can be said of some non-European languages like Arabic
, which uses the same participle construction as Spanish: dakhala rākiḍan, literally: 'he entered running', with dakhala meaning 'to enter', and rakaḍa meaning 'to run'.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, verb-framing and satellite-framing are typological descriptions of how verb phrases in different language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
s describe the path of motion or the manner of motion, respectively.
Manner of motion refers to a type of distinct motion described by a particular verb, e.g., running, tumbling, sliding, walking, crawling, etc. Path of motion refers to the direction of the movement, e.g., movement into, out of, across, etc. These two concepts can be encoded in the verb as part of its root meaning, or in a separate particle associated to the verb (a satellite).
Languages are considered verb-framed or satellite-framed based on how the motion path is encoded. English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
verbs use particles
Grammatical particle
In grammar, a particle is a function word that does not belong to any of the inflected grammatical word classes . It is a catch-all term for a heterogeneous set of words and terms that lack a precise lexical definition...
to show the path of motion ('run into', 'go out', 'fall down'), and its verbs usually show manner of motion; thus English is a satellite-framed language. English verbs that counter this tendency are mostly Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
ate, such as "exit", "ascend", or "enter".
All Germanic languages
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
are satellite-framed languages. Accordingly, 'to go out' is hinausgehen in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, uitgaan in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
and gå ut in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, wherein gehen / gaan / gå are equivalents of 'to go', and hinaus / uit / ut are equivalents of 'out'. In this manner, Germanic languages can form all kinds of compounds, even less manifest ones like (German) hinaustanzen 'to dance out' and so on.
On the other hand, all Romance languages are verb-framed. Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, for example, makes heavy use of verbs of motion like entrar, salir, subir, bajar ('go in, go out, go up, go down'), which directly encode motion path, and may leave out the manner of motion or express it in a complement of manner (typically a participle
Participle
In linguistics, a participle is a word that shares some characteristics of both verbs and adjectives. It can be used in compound verb tenses or voices , or as a modifier...
): entró corriendo 'he ran in', literally 'he entered running'; salió flotando 'it floated out', literally 'it exited floating'.
The same can be said of some non-European languages like Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, which uses the same participle construction as Spanish: dakhala rākiḍan, literally: 'he entered running', with dakhala meaning 'to enter', and rakaḍa meaning 'to run'.