Semantic Structure of the Norwegian Preposition mot.

This article examines the semantic structure of the Norwegian preposition mot 'towards, against', and suggests an analysis within cognitive semantics where it is argued that the various senses of this word are best accounted for in terms of a family resemblance category, with two interrelated image schemas, SOURCE-PATH-GOAL and FORCE DYNAMICS, as its basic senses. Other senses are treated as extensions, for the most part metaphorical, of these two basic senses. The study builds on a corpus of Norwegian texts from various genres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]