Metaphor as the tool for creating non-spatial meanings of the English preposition “under”

The present study operates within cognitive linguistics. Its object is the semantic structure of the English preposition “under”, and its aim is to reveal the conceptual domains which are expressed verbally via non-spatial meanings of the preposition. The study was conducted using the dictionary and corpus data. Seven conceptual domains were found: “time / quantity”; “process / situation”; “impact / contact”; “law / rules / limitations”; “power / hierarchy”; “written discourse / text”; “hidden truth”. The study also revealed conceptual metaphors serving as the cognitive basis for the development of the non-spatial meanings of “under”.