Motion verbs in Modern Standard Arabic and their implications for Talmy's lexicalization patterns

Talmy's typology of motion events in world languages as verb-framed (V-framed) and satellite-framed (S-framed) languages focuses on the expression of Path and Manner either in the verb or in a satellite to it. However insightful and interesting this typology is, it has too restrictive a scope to account for the role of other conceptual components such as Figure, Ground, and Cause in the overall motion event. The current article brings evidence from Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) to bear on Talmy's lexicalization patterns. In particular, it shows that, owing to its rich morphology, MSA includes, apart from path- and manner-driven verbs, verb patterns centered on the Figure, Ground, and Cause. Because of the difficulty occasioned by data from MSA and various other languages for Talmy's typology, the article proposes a typology of motion verbs along conflation patterns rather than lexicalization patterns.