A Cognitive Semantics Approach to the Polysemy of the English Preposition “On” and Its Vietnamese Equivalents

Exploring the shift in meanings of translating the preposition “on” from English to Vietnamese, the study, besides analyzing the cases of the changes in meanings of the preposition, aims at explaining the cases where the preposition “on” is not translated as “trên” and its Vietnamese equivalents under the cognitive semantics approach. The methods of analysis and synthesis of theories from the available data on the preposition “on” as well as the methods of classifying and systematizing prepositions are applied to English-Vietnamese translation. From the collected data, this study reveals the cases of the shift in meanings of “on” and the characteristics of multiple meanings of the preposition under the cognitive semantics approach. In the course of translation, contextual meanings are used in order to convey the meanings appropriately in the Vietnamese style. The research paper can make some contribution to the teaching of translation and make it a reference material for English learners.