A diachronic semantic map for the Latin preposition secundum

Abstract This paper plugs a gap in the literature by providing a corpus-based diachronic semantic analysis of the preposition secundum while also contributing to a larger body of cognitive-functional studies of prepositions. The data, retrieved from the Latin Library corpus prose section and spanning a period of over 800 years, are analyzed from both a qualitative and a quantitative point of view. The meanings of secundum are grouped into three cognitive-functional domains (the spatio-temporal one, the domain of logical relations and the (inter)subjective domain) within and across which metaphorical and metonymic links are identified. On the basis of these data, a conceptual space is drawn on which four semantic maps are carved, representing four different stages of evolution in the semantics of secundum. The semantic change undergone by secundum supports the idea of the centrality of the spatio-temporal domains and shows a gradual tendency towards (inter)subjectification – in line with a plethora of studies within grammaticalization theory and semantic change. Particularly interesting is the development of the meanings of evidentiality and attribution, two meanings that had been previously overlooked. The semantic space identified has potential cross-linguistic applications.