Properties
The following properties are characteristic of most adpositional systems.
- Adpositions are among the most frequently occurring words in languages that have them. For example, one frequency ranking for English word forms begins as follows (adpositions in bold):
-
- the, of, and, to, a, in, that, it, is, was, I, for, on, you, …
- The most common adpositions are single, monomorphemic words. According to the ranking cited above, for example, the most common English prepositions are the following:
-
- on, in, to, by, for, with, at, of, from, as, …
- Adpositions form a closed class of lexical items and cannot be productively derived from words of other categories.
Read more about this topic: Preposition And Postposition
Famous quotes containing the word properties:
“The reason why men enter into society, is the preservation of their property; and the end why they choose and authorize a legislative, is, that there may be laws made, and rules set, as guards and fences to the properties of all the members of the society: to limit the power, and moderate the dominion, of every part and member of the society.”
—John Locke (1632–1704)
“A drop of water has the properties of the sea, but cannot exhibit a storm. There is beauty of a concert, as well as of a flute; strength of a host, as well as of a hero.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)