Re: Set of basic adpositions

R A Brown wrote:
> David J. Peterson wrote:
>> Tok Pisin has two: bilong (genitive), and long
>> (all else).
>
> Presumably the meaning is made clearer, if
> necessary, with additional words such as adverbs.

Tzotzil, a Mayan language of Central America,
only has one preposition "ta". It can often be
used by itself when a more precise meaning is
not needed:

(All my examples are from http://www.zapata.org/Tzotzil/ )

   'Oy  chenek'  ta  p'in.
   [Exist  beans  PREP  pot]
  There are beans in the pot.

   Mi  'oy  ch'ivit  ta  lunex?
   [QUES  exist  market  PREP  Monday]
   Is there a market on Monday?

But there are many nouns indicating locations
which can be used in conjunction with "ta":

    'Oy  k'ib  ta  ba na.
   [Exist  water-jug  PREP  top  house]
   There is a water jug on top of the house

   Ta  pat  mok  li  tzebe.
   [PREP  back  fence  the  girl]
   The girl is behind the fence.

    ta  pat  mak  na
    [PREP  back  cover  house]
    behind the door of the house

From the website:
   {k'ot-} means "to arrive (to another place)";
   {yul-} means "to arrive (here)."  Thus

          K'otem  ta  Jobel.

   means "he has arrived in San Cristobal," and
   would be said if the speaker himself is not in
   San Cristobal. But

          Yulem  ta  Jobel.

   has two meanings: either "He has arrived in
   San Cristobal" (if the speaker is also in San
   Cristobal), or "He has arrived here from San
   Cristobal" (if the speaker is not in San Cristobal).

Some more examples:

   Mi  labat  ta  Jobel  volje?
   [QUES  you-went  PREP  San-Cristobal  yesterday]
   Did you go to San Cristobal yesterday?

   Much'u  te  ijatav  ta  te'tik?
   [Who  there  he-fled  PREP  forest]
   Who fled to the forest?

   Sob  to  lik'ot  ta  ch'ivit  ta  Jobel.
   [Early  still  I-arrived  PREP  market  PREP  San-Cristobal]
   It was early when I arrived at the market in San Cristobal.

   Lijach'  ta  'ach'el  ta  te'tik  ta  byernex.
   [I-slipped  PREP  mud  PREP  forest  PREP  Friday]
   I slipped in the mud in the forest on Friday.

   Mi  ta  karo  chak'ot  ta  Tuxtla?
   [QUES  PREP  car  you-will-arrive  PREP  Tuxtla]
   Is it by car that you will arrive in Tuxtla?

   Chjatav  ta  pox  li  'antze.
   [He-fled  PREP  liquor  the  woman]
   The woman fled from the liquor.

--Ph. D.

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