prepostional phrases - multiple constructions?

mesmark · Post by **mesmark** » Wed May 30, 2007 2:35 am

I've been presented with some language data and asked to create rules for sentence formation. I have boiled it down to one problem that has stumped me.

It would seem possible, but am I reaching, to assume we could have 2 possible constructions for a prepositional phrase?

PP --> { P1 NP
_______NP P2

where P1 and P2 are different classes of prepositions

I haven't studied many languages at all, so if you have any thoughts on this I'd appreciate it. I won't bore you with the actual data or ask you to do my homework for me. Just your thoughts on the possibilities of this. Thanks!

Jimbobob · Post by **Jimbobob** » Wed May 30, 2007 6:11 am

Does English have postpositions?

I didn't think so, but could be wrong. What kind of examples do you have of prepositional phrases that go:

<Noun phrase> <preposition>

?

mesmark · Post by **mesmark** » Wed May 30, 2007 6:43 am

sorry, it's not an example in English. The language samples I was given are labeled language X.

JuanTwoThree · Post by **JuanTwoThree** » Wed May 30, 2007 11:14 am

First off, would it be nitpicking to point out that a PREposition can't be in the post position? You'd have to call it something else, like a postposition.

There was a thread that came up with "ago" and "hence" as being the only postpositions in English. I remember it well because I racked my brains for more.

What about "_wards" which is a suffix and so not pre anything?

Anuradha Chepur · Post by **Anuradha Chepur** » Wed May 30, 2007 12:06 pm

I think your second P2 is PP as in ditransitive constructions in English.

He put the book on the table.

The NP 'the book' takes a PP complement, which in is in turn P + NP.