Factors Involved in the Use of In and On

What factors influence people’s use of spatial prepositions? In this paper, we examine the influence of four factors – geometry of the Ground, function of the Ground, animacy of the Ground, and animacy of the Figure – on the use of English in and on. We find evidence for all four of these factors. Spatial prepositions appear to involve a complex set of spatial and non-spatial interacting factors.

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