Chapter 3. On1, off, on2
58
Figure 3.7 under a heavy burden (of responsibility)
Here we see that one sense of under can be represented by an icon that can also represent on1, . In other words, these two prepositions can sometimes refer to the same physical scene (e.g..the ball’s under the book; the book’s on the ball) albeit with different perspective and focus of interest. In contrast to on1, the notion of support is not a prominent part of the meaning of under. Thus, if I say that Person A is ‘under person B’s thumb’ (~ ‘dominated and controlled by’), I am not in any sense trying to say that Person A supports Person B’s thumb. However, the notion of support can be contributed by particular contexts in which under is used: (23) Hoover intends to have a good foundation under the brick house he proposes to erect.W
7. On the right/left (hand)(side) (of) vs to the right/left (hand)(side)(of) Herskovits (1986: 189) remarks that to the right (or left) can mean that the Subject is quite far away from the Landmark, whereas on the right (or left) tends to mean that it is relatively close, or at least quite visible.2 In any case, the notion of visual contact seems particularly prominent here: (24) Did you notice the twin oak trees on the left hand side of the path?W
This alleged difference between to the right/left and on the right/left would accord with the following facts: a. to is first and foremost a preposition of movement. b. Therefore, to the right/left is the most likely to follow a verb of motion – (e.g. veer to the right vs ?veer on the left. c. The lateral movement of a Subject from a Landmark results in widened separation. . Herskovits cites Leech (1969) as an authority for this supposed contrast in meaning between on the right and to the right (or left). After searching the web for examples, it seems to me that for many speakers of English the distinction is somewhat indefinite.