This book provides a precise and thorough description of the meaning and
use of spatial expressions, using both a linguistics and an artificial
intelligence perspective, and also an enlightening discussion of
computer models of comprehension and production in the spatial domain.
The author proposes a theoretical framework that explains many
previously overlooked or misunderstood irregularities. The use of
prepositions reveals underlying schematisations and idealisations of the
spatial world, which, for the most part, echo representational
structures necessary for human action (movement and manipulation).
Because spatial cognition seems to provide a key to understanding much
of the cognitive system, including language, the book addresses one of
the most basic questions confronting cognitive science and artificial
intelligence, and brings fresh and original insights to it.