Force Dynamics, Image Schemas, and Constructional Polysemy in the Prepositions ἐπί and κατά in Postclassical Greek (Aubrey & Aubrey 2026)

SIL’s Journal of Translation is pleased to announce the publication of

Force Dynamics, Image Schemas, and Constructional Polysemy in the Prepositions ἐπί and κατά in Postclassical Greek

Rachel E. Aubrey and Michael G. Aubrey • Journal of Translation 22 (1): 53–88
https://doi.org/10.54395/JOT-EPIKATAFD

Abstract

Greek prepositions ἐπί and κατά are among the most semantically complex in the Koine lexicon, generating English glosses that offer little coherent explanation for their diversity. This article argues that force dynamics—the cognitive-linguistic account of forces, counterforces, and causal relations—provides a unified semantic basis that conventional gloss-based approaches cannot. Drawing on over 10,000 tokens from the Septuagint, New Testament, and extra-biblical Koine sources, the study identifies a force-dynamic image schema for each preposition and shows how schema transformations generate constructional polysemy across physical, cognitive, and social domains. For ἐπί, a downward TRAJECTOR force and the stabilizing counterforce of a LANDMARK motivate constructions from physical stacking and attachment to abstract emotion, causality, authority, and conflict. For κατά, a TRAJECTOR propelled along a conforming LANDMARK path accounts for downward motion, distribution, conformity, manner, and opposition. The analysis concludes with practical guidance for translators and teachers: attending to force-dynamic structure rather than glosses enables more principled, consistent comprehension across contexts.

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