Reversive constructions in Latin: the case of re- (and dis-)

Abstract

This paper proposes a cognitive account on re- and dis- verbs based on the scrutiny of the Plautine corpus and Cato’s De agricultura. Re- and dis- exhibit significant differences as to the manner in which they come to a reversive function, and these differences can be traced back to the basic conceptual import of the two prefixes: while dis- is schematically connected with the idea of separation into two parts, re- basically refers to a rearward/reditive trajectory, connecting a point that has already been reached to the starting point. On the basis of this description, I analyze the semantic network of re- and dis- and the role of their conceptual structure in the spread from spatial to reversive values.