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32.1. Characterization of the category adposition
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This section provides a brief characterization of the category of adpositions. Adpositions can be divided into the four basic types in (1) on the basis of their position with respect to their complement (with apologies for the contradictio in terminis in the term intransitive adposition in (1d)).

1
Syntactic classification of adpositions
a. Prepositions: adpositions preceding their complement
b. Postpositions: adpositions following their complement
c. Circumpositions: discontinuous adpositions enclosing their complement
d. Intransitive adpositions: adpositions without a complement

Table 1 gives two examples of each type. Section 32.2 will provide a comprehensive discussion of these four syntactic subclasses, while the present section will first provide an overview and general discussion of the broader class of adpositions as a whole. Section 32.1.1 begins with a discussion of some characteristic properties of the category of adpositions. Section 32.1.2 provides a preliminary discussion of the syntactic uses of adpositional phrases.

Table 1: Syntactic classification of the adpositions
adposition type example translation section
preposition (P + NP) voor het huis
tijdens de voorstelling
in front of the house
during the performance
32.2.2
postposition (NP + P) het huis in
het hele jaar door
into the house
throughout the year
32.2.3
circumposition
(P + NP + P)
onder het hek door
tussen de lessen door
under the gate
in between the lessons
32.2.5
intransitive adpositions and particles (P) De vakantie is voorbij.
De kachel is uit.
The vacation is over.
The heater is off.
32.2.4

Since this section is meant to provide the background for the rest of our discussion of adpositional phrases, it is necessarily sketchy and far from complete; many of the issues raised here will be discussed in more detail in later chapters.

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