Early Hick Lexicon — Spatial Terms

Entries in the Spatial Terms semantic field.

tal /tal/

place, location (noun) — Forms many location compounds [Spatial Terms, Basic Terms]

Proto-Hick *halu

Borrowed from Pre-Hick dialect where spatial meaning developed

wesp /wesp/

cellar, basement, lower enclosed space (noun) — Lexicalized relic; productive case use normally appears as -esp [Architecture, Dwelling Terms, Spatial Terms]

Proto-Hick *wesu pu

Lexical bridge between wes "cover, enclose" and the productive subessive -esp. Probably first meant an enclosed hole or burrow-dwelling, broadened under Maritime Hick influence to enclosed lower spaces such as ship holds, then generalized in Early Hick to cellars, basements, and similar lower enclosed spaces.