prepositionallike

Prepositionallike is a term used in linguistics to describe words or expressions that perform the function of a preposition—linking a nominal element to another part of the sentence—without belonging to the conventional class of prepositions. The category can include adjectives, nouns, or fixed phrases that require a following prepositional phrase to express a relation such as possession, association, or description.

In practice, prepositionallike items often take an oblique complement introduced by a preposition, forming a prepositional phrase in effect, even though their syntactic category is not preposition. They may attach to adjectives or nouns, or appear in predicative positions, where the overall construction conveys the same relational meaning as a true prepositional phrase. Their behavior can be more idiosyncratic and sensitive to semantic nuance than that of canonical prepositions.

Common examples include adjectives that govern a prepositional phrase, such as afraid of the storm, aware of the risks, interested in philosophy, and proud of his achievements. Other instances involve nouns that take a prepositional complement, as in the need for assistance or in terms of legality, where the relation is established through a preposition-like link rather than a stand-alone preposition.

Cross-linguistic usage varies: some languages encode these relations with true prepositions, while others rely more on adjectives or nouns to combine with prepositional phrases. The concept helps describe a gray area where the relational meaning is clear, but the morphosyntactic status of the governing word deviates from the prototypical preposition.

See also: prepositional phrase, adposition, complementation, syntactic category.