Prepositsioone

Prepositsioone is a linguistic term for the class of words and particles that express relations between a noun and other elements in a sentence. In many languages these words are called prepositions or adpositions in English. Prepositsioone commonly form prepositional phrases when combined with noun phrases.

Within the class there are several subtypes. Simple prepositions precede the noun (in, under, during); postpositions occur after the noun in languages that place the relation after the noun; circumpositions surround the noun with two elements (for example, a pre-element and a post-element). In some languages the same relations are conveyed by case endings rather than separate words.

Functionally, a prepositsioone typically heads a prepositional phrase that expresses location, direction, time, manner, instrument, or other relations. The complement object is usually a noun phrase or pronoun. The phrase can modify a noun (a prepositional modifier) or, less commonly, the verb.

Semantics and syntax can vary across languages. Prepositsioone are often polysemous, with a single preposition covering multiple senses, and can be affected by metaphorical extensions. Some languages allow multiple prepositional phrases to stack or interlock with case markings.

Cross-linguistic note: Some languages rely heavily on postpositional marking or case systems instead of independent prepositional words; others combine both strategies or use circumpositions. The study of prepositsioone is central to typology and to understanding how languages encode spatial, temporal, and other relations.

See also: Preposition; Adposition; Postposition; Circumposition; Case marking; Prepositional phrase.