This study present an analysis of the French direct transitive motion verbs. To speak of 'motion verbs' suggests that we are dealing with a homogeneous class bringing together verbs which share a number of common properties and are clearly distinguishable from other, non-spatial, verbs. Yet, the examination of the behaviour of so-called motion verbs such as monter, traverser, heurter, atteindre etc., which enter into the direct transitive construction [NP V NP], has shown that not all these verbs are intrinsically spatial. I will present the criteria which have led me to establish a typology of these verbs. Above all, I will underline the correlations between the type of referential anchorage of a localisation relationship with respect to an entity, the ontological nature of this entity, the aspect of the verb and its degree of transitivity. This linguistic description shows that a set of factors of a semantico-referential and syntactic type converge to create 'models' (or patterns) which are able to capture motion events either from a dynamic, relational and global standpoint or from a static, referential and partial one. These two representational modes define the two poles of a continuum which is also oriented between a weak and high degree of transitivity. On the basis of this analysis, several hypotheses have been presented concerning verbal selection restrictions, verbal polysemy and various alternation phenomena (direct vs. indirect transivity).
