La préposition de dans un cadre cognitif

The preposition de in a cognitive framework ABSTRACT A cognitive analysis of the uses of the preposition de in the contemporary French proposed in this article proves that 1. the preposition de is a category containing several uses organized around proto typical uses; 2. there is a semantic invariant that makes possible distinguishing between the value of the preposition de and other prepositions that may appear in the same context (eg. a typewriter vs a writing machine); 3. simple and contracted forms are motivated by the frequency of usage based on preferen tial uses; 4. the choice of the preposition is negotiated simultaneously on the conceptual, linguistic and discursive levels.