The Qualitative Spatial Dynamics of Motion in Language

In this paper, we discuss the strategies that languages employ to express motion, focusing on the distinction between path predicates, such as enter, arrive, and leave and manner-of-motion predicates, such as walk, bike, and roll. We present an overview of some qualitative spatiotemporal models of movement, and discuss their adequacy for capturing motion constructions in natural languages. Building on many aspects of these qualitative models, we introduce a framework within dynamic logic for the characterization of spatial change. This model, called Dynamic Interval Temporal Logic (DITL), is developed to analyze both classes of motion predicates, as well as complex compositional constructions involving spatial and manner Prepositional Phrases. Further, DITL serves as a semantics for a linguistically expressive markup language for annotating spatiotemporal information in text, called Spatiotemporal Markup Language (STML). We outline the syntax of this language, and discuss how DITL provides for a natural interpretation of the annotation specification for use in a variety of applications.