Re: My conlang: opinions welcome

"Jim Henry" <jacklongshadow@...> wrote:

> 2005-04-11 inx, lju-txaj-zox {Gregory-ram Gadow-sqam} tu-i pqoq:
>
> >Very likely, I'm misusing the terminology. I describe them as
> >postpositions because A) the word indicating the spacial relationship
> >concludes the phrase rather than introduces it, and B) the phrase itself
> >is placed after the phrase it is modifying. I'm open to changing the way
> >this relationship is described.
>
> Your use of the word "postposition" is correct.  I believe that
> "postpositional phrase" means "a noun, maybe with some adjectives,
> followed by a postposition" -- not "a phrase that is positioned
> after the word or phrase it modifies".  In theory a postpositional phrase
> could go before or after the word or phrase it modifies
True. Example from English: "in car camera", referring to a
television camera positioned inside a race car.

> I was just pointing out that, based on (what I vaguely remember of)
> what I've read, postpositional phrases usually go before the word
> or phrase they modify, just as prepositional phrases usually go after
> their head word.
It's only a strong tendency, and exceptions appear in languages
that have changed through head-initial and head-final stages.

--
Damian