Re: Set of basic adpositions

R A Brown skrev:
> Hi all!
>
> On page 87 of "Describing Morphosyntax", Thomas Payne wrote: "The set of
> basic adpositions in most languages is rather small, consisting of
> perhaps five or six forms."
>
> But he gave no examples or any indication what such a small set might
> consist of. Instead he goes onto examine English which "is unusually
> rich in basic prepositions."
>
> I've tried Googling to see if any body does give anything like sets of
> basic adpositions commonly found in languages. But my searches have not
> come up with anything yet. Does any one know of any such list(s)?
>
I don't know about adpositions, but a common
small system of local cases is

* Locative   = 'X is at Y',
* Lative     = 'X moves to(wards) Y',
* Separative = 'X moves (away) from Y',

with all three cases covering all of
proximity, contact and inclusion in Y,
and including proximity/contact above
and below Y.

The only really freaquent further simplification,
short of languages with only one case covering all
oblique functions is to have a single (set of) form(s)
covering the functions of both locative and lative.

There may be freak languages which merge lative
and separative or even locative and separative,
but I can't imagine the latter in particular
being a very useful distinction and hence to be
stable.

I guess there would be adposition systems equivalent
to these case systems.

I guess that the book 'Case' by Barry Blake can
provide you with needed references.

/BP

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