Frompostpositions

Frompostpositions are a cross-linguistic category of postpositional elements that encode source or origin relative to a reference point. In languages that use postpositions, these markers follow the noun they govern and express meanings comparable to English from, out of, or away from. In languages with robust case systems, the same function is often realized by ablative or elative case forms attached to the noun rather than by separate words.

Realization and examples vary by language type. Turkish uses postpositional suffixes such as -den/-dan (from the house: ev-den). Finnish expresses source with the elative case -sta/-stä (talosta, from the house). Hungarian employs the suffix -ból/-ből (házból, from the house). Japanese has a postpositional particle such as から (kara) after the noun, functioning similarly to a postposition, while Korean uses particles like 에서 (eseo) or 부터 (buto) to express starting points or origins in different contexts. Some languages rely primarily on case morphology, while others use isolated postpositional words or particles.

Semantics and scope can be broad. Frompostpositions typically denote movement away from a location or the origin of an entity or action, but they can also mark source of possession, cause, or separation. Languages may differentiate levels of source (from near vs far) or distinctions between interior origin and exterior departure.

In linguistic study, frompostpositions intersect with topics in spatial semantics, case systems, and adpositional theory. They illustrate how languages encode source relations through affixes, particles, or clitic-like elements, contributing to cross-linguistic diversity in expressing origin and movement.