Vorworten

Vorworten is the dative plural form of the German noun Vorwort, which translates to "foreword" or "preface" in English. As an inflected form, Vorworten appears in contexts requiring the dative case, for example after certain prepositions or verbs that govern the dative: "mit den Vorworten mehrerer Experten" (with the forewords of several experts).

A Vorwort is a short introductory text placed at the beginning of a book, anthology, report or edition. It typically provides context, explains the purpose or genesis of the work, acknowledges contributors, or frames the reader’s expectations. Vorworte (the nominative plural) may be written by the author, an editor, a translator, or an invited commentator; when multiple forewords are present, the phrase Vorworten is used in dative constructions.

Etymologically, Vorwort combines vor (before) and Wort (word). In publishing and literary studies, distinctions are made between Vorwort, Einführung (introduction), and Nachwort (afterword), which differ in length, function and placement. Vorworte are common in scholarly editions, collected works and commemorative volumes, where they can serve documentary, historical or interpretive purposes. Grammatically, Vorworten exemplifies regular weak inflection patterns in German plural dative forms.