Polish equivalents of spatial at

Abstract

This paper explicates how English and Polish select different aspects of a spatial situation to express coincidence or proximity. Spatial relations verbalized by different senses of at in English are reflected primarily by means of w, na, przy and u in Polish. First, at is presented as conceptualizing the relation of coincidence or proximity with the whole Landmark (LM) when it is conceived as a point. Then, the Polish prepositions are investigated - how they differ with respect to the specific part of the LM that is involved in a topological relation. Although the prepositions are available to the speakers of the respective languages to render different types of relations, their senses overlap in a complex way.