Abstract
The sematic element of path is considered an internal component of motion events and is mainly associated with the route taken by a figure that changes location. Characters in stories are frequently depicted in motion, as with Jonathan Livingston Seagull, whose aerial feats are central to the plot. In English, routes are typically expressed by adverbs and prepositional phrases, both of which are abundant in the language. English verbs, in contrast to those of Italian and Ladin, commonly conflate the manner of motion. Moreover, adverbs and prepositions of motion define courses taken by fictitious movers, such as light and sight. Languages that are typologically different favour distinct lexicalisation variants for both factive and fictive motion. The purpose of this work is to determine whether English, Italian, and Ladin descriptions of motion in Jonathan Livingston Seagull entail distinctive lexicalisation patters and whether semantic differences are evident between these languages. The analysis is qualitative and mainly draws on typological classifications proposed by Talmy (1985, 2000a, 2000b, 2018).