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Surrounding [localization]

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A Figure surrounds a Ground. The Ground location is presented as more likely to be a known location than the location of the Figure. Some lexical units entail more-or-less complete surrounding in two or three dimensions (e.g. surround.v), while others entail surrounding on only two sides (e.g. astride.prep, straddle.v). Like other locative relations, the Figure may be any of a movable entity, an immovable entity, or an event.

The hand around the sword-hilt was no less impressive than the sword .
The drug war straddles the border of the US and Mexico .

This frame resembles the Abounding_with frame, in that both involve a Figure "covering" some Ground, but the Surrounding frame differs in that the Profiled_region is not coextensive with the Ground, as it is in the Adorning frame, and, in fact, unusually for a locative relation, the Ground entity is normally smaller than the Figure. For this reason, the verbs of this frame are often used in the passive (restoring the normal relationship of stative subjects to oblique elements).

In addition to several lexical units of this frame originating as metaphorical extentions of much more specific posture descriptions (straddle.v, astride.prep), this frame is itself used in a productive metaphor, involving abstract entities metaphorically "impinging" on other entities (in terms of derivative similarity, control, etc.), as in the following:
that led to Dolce and Gabbana to base their autumn/winter D and G collection around her style in 2008
But he discovered that the literary world was a battlefieldβ€” mined with hatred, rimmed with snipers.
Countless legends sprung up around the knight.

Common abstract entities that serve as Figure include emotions ('the hopelessness surrounding them'), as well as theories, arguments, and collective philosophies ('Ageism surrounds us, but passes largely unnoticed').
This metaphor arises from the normal invited implicature of this frame that the Figure may physically impinge on the Ground, either protecting it, or limiting its motion, or even supporting it.

Properties

ID
#2911
Entry
frm_surrounding
Namespace
Relation.Localization
FrameNet version
Surrounding (fn_1.7_2023)
Domains
β€”
Types
β€”
Ontological type
β€”
English name
Surrounding

Core Frame Elements (3)

Core Frame Elements
Frame element Definition Semantic type Constraint
Figure
The Figure is the entity located with respect to the Ground.

He had both hands wrapped around her arm .
β€” β€”
Ground
The Ground is the area that the Figure surrounds.
β€” β€”
Profiled_region
The area or zone immediately external to the Ground. This FE excludes Figure and is only used in particular constructions such as the following:

We looked [around|Profiled_region] the trees .

β€” β€”

Peripheral Frame Elements (1)

Peripheral Frame Elements
Frame element Definition Semantic type Constraint
Time
The Time during which the Figure is located around the Ground.
β€” β€”

Extra-thematic Frame Elements (4)

Extra-thematic Frame Elements
Frame element Definition Semantic type Constraint
Accessibility
An indication of how accessible the Figure is to some participant in the speech context (either the speaker or the addressee, or some other highly salient viewpoint in a narrative). This FE normally describes availability for manipulation and use, but may simply describe how easily seen the Figure is. There is a closed class of items that can fill this slot, including only 'just' and 'right' indicating ease of access.

The skittles lie just around their empty package.
β€” β€”
Direction
This FE identifies the Direction from a reference location (generally, the deictic center) of a path to the Figure.

Up around the bolt she saw a frayed noose .
β€” β€”
Directness
An indication of how closely the position of Figure matches the prototype expected from the image schema associated with the target. This FE is normally filled by closed-class, dedicated adverbs like right, straight, and directly.

A single membrane directly surrounds the cytoplasm.
β€” β€”
Distance
This FE identifies the Distance between the Figure and some reference location (generally, the deictic center or the Ground).

WARNING: Probably not relevant for this frame.
β€” β€”

Frame-Frame Relations (2)

See_also

See_also relations
See_also
Distributed_position
FE-FE

Using

Using relations

Lexical Units (9)

Lexical units of this frame
LU Type Definition
around.prep β€” FN: actually or nearly surrounding.
astride.prep β€” FN: with one extreme part on each side of.
edge.v β€” FN: surround (or nearly surround) around the edge.
rim.v β€” FN: surround at the edge.
ring.v β€” FN: be on all sides of, forming a continuous loop around.
straddle.v β€” FN: be on both sides of.
straddling.a β€” FN: on both sides of.
surround.v β€” FN: be located on every side of.
surrounding.a β€” FN: on all (or virtually all) sides (of).
Frame Chain TQR Visual Units

None.

None.

No visual units

This frame has no visual-unit images.