The Spanish Preposition

Author(s): Robert E. Sondergard

Source: Hispania, Vol. 36, No. 1 (Feb., 1953), pp. 76-78
Published by: American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/334744
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 THE SPANISH PREPOSITION

ROBERT E. SONDERGARD

University of Southern California

Compared with other parts of syntactic

speech, functions where they convey
the prepositions are relatively no few in
meaning, but serve simply as a
number, but they find frequent use. as in Veo a Juan.
"marker,"
A random study of Spanish prose The as
Spanish stock of prepositions was
reported by Tomas Navarro' has revealed
largely obtained from Latin preposi-
that prepositions account for tions;'
18.07% in addition, some were derived
of all parts of speech. As to the stock of
from other parts of speech, and from
prepositions, one could reasonablyvariousas-
linguistic sources. Many Latin
sume that the number in the charac- prepositions disappeared, most of these
teristically analytic Romance tongues
not surviving into Vulgar Latin.
would exceed that found in Latin, aThe Latin prepositions that were
synthetic language, but such is not the
simple in form tended to remain, such
case. Spanish has approximately one-half
as de, in, cum. Of course exceptions to
the number of prepositions foundthis
in generalization are extant, for ex-
Latin.2 This means that many new func-ample ob, but popularity was an im-
tions and meanings were added toportant
the factor causing the elimination of
simple prepositions that were rarely
limited stock of prepositions that Spanish
inherited. used. In addition to the quality of being
Prepositions occupy an unusual place
monosyllabic as well as popular, dis-
among the parts of speech, for theytinctiveness
are also was important, for the
as a group composed of what might beof synonyms or synonymous phrases
lack
called prepositions proper, as wellprecluded
as the possibility of substitutes.
certain adverbs which may variously Secondly, those prepositions that lived
function as prepositions, and the division
on were common in Vulgar Latin circles
between adverbs and prepositions is often
from which Spanish grew. Rare are the
tenuous. This uncertainty of classi- sporadic uses of a preposition that may
fication is probably what causes gram-not have been found in Vulgar Latin, such
marians to avoid a clearcut listing of as so and tras. These out-croppings are
prepositions, and resort to discussion of undoubtedly due to the lack of written
their various forms and functions. The records from that period, which in no
problem is further complicated byway theprecludes the possibility of a word's
existence of the vast number of prep- having been used by the people. On
ositional particles that can be used only the contrary, were we to argue that be-
inseparably combined with other words, cause prepositions are such common
and by the fact that some prepositions parts of speech that all certainly would
of a given language can be used both have found their way into the written
combined and independently. Further- records, we could postulate learned or
more, many prepositions are phrases semi-learned influences as being the
consisting of one or more prepositions basis for a preposition's revival in
plus other words, such as a pesar de andSpanish without its having been found
en lugar de. In addition to their lexical in Vulgar Latin.
meanings, which are frequently numer- Third, it appears that some prepo-
ous, prepositions also fulfill various sitions may have been irreplaceable by
76

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 THE SPANISH PREPOSITION 77

other simpler prepositions or by cir- de, debajo de, desde, and others. This
cumlocutions, and consequently they process is undoubtedly fostered by the
remained. loss or weakening of meaning of the
Semantically, extension of meaning original preposition, and the word de
occurred of necessity in some prepositions was added in an effort to strengthen or
caused by the disappearance of others,reinforce the meaning conveyed by the
and the consequent addition of these preposition.
meanings to the prepositions that re- Uncommon Latin prepositions died out
mained. Although the surplus was largely and were replaced by commoner ones or
taken up by phrases, the effects were by combinations. The literary language
undoubtedly felt by single prepositions. naturally contained numerous words the
For example, a replaced apud, cum meanings of which varied only slightly,
replaced penes, de replaced ex, inter re-and these distinctions, used mainly for
placed intra, and sine replaced absque.stylistic effect, were not necessary in
Thus, the given words added unto popular speech. An example is absque,
themselves many of the meanings "without," which disappeared after the
formerly conveyed by the words they time of Plautus and Terrence, as it was
replaced. satisfactorily replaced by sine. Adversus
Restriction of meaning is exemplified was ousted by the more common versus,
by segzn. The Latin form of this word was and in Old Spanish is even found the
secundum, derived from the verb sequor, derivative vieso, which was soon to be
"to follow." The Latin meanings were replaced by the picturesque hacia from
many: "following after, after, behind, the Latin noun facies, "face."
next to, agreeable to, in accordance with, Certain prepositions could be more
according to, in favor of," while in easily replaced by phrases constructed
Spanish all were dropped with the ex- perhaps of one or more common prep-
ception of "according to." Certain re- ositions with other words, and conse-
striction of meaning is found also in quently they lost out. Ante was replaced
ante, per, pro, sub, subtus, which have by the reinforced phrase antes de, as
become or have been replaced by antes well as by en frente de; others replaced
de, para, por, so, soto. by phrases include circa, cis, clam, coram,
Ab calls for special comment.4 Due to erga, extra, infra, juxta, ob, palam,
the lack of concrete evidence, it is gen- penes, pone, post, prae, praeter, prope,
erally considered that it did not survive propter, trans, uls, ultra.
the Vulgar Latin period. However, Other reasons for disappearance of
whether its influence may have remainedLatin words may have been that they
in the Romance languages after losingwere confused with other words, they
the final -b, and then becoming confusedmay have failed to convey their meanings
with a from ad will probably never besatisfactorily under all circumstances, or
known, although evidence in favor of this they may have lost some of their at-
contention is amply afforded in all the tractiveness, especially under the compe-
Romance tongues. tition with more picturesque words.
A common semantic practice found in Several words that syntactically at
Spanish has been the reinforcement orone time or other were not prepositions
strengthening of certain prepositions byhave changed to become prepositions.
the addition of another preposition toGreek or Celtic origins have been sug-
their composition. This added word isgested for bajo. Hasta may be from the
invariably de, which has been combinedArabic hatta or a combination of the
with the following: delante de, detrdsLatin ad tenus. Salvo is from the Latin

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 78 HISPANIA

NOTES
adjective salvus, "safe, sound, pure,
intact." 1 Estudios de fonologia espaiola (Syracuse,
1946).
In conclusion, the short, popular, and
2English has more prepositions than Latin
distinctive Latin prepositions remained in
and Spanish combined, according to the list
Vulgar Latin, and were transmitted to
compiled by George Oliver Curme, Syntax
Spanish. Others disappeared or were re-(Boston, 1931).
placed by various phrases or other words.
3 The Latin prepositions are: ab, absque, ad,
Those prepositions that remained oftenadversus, ante, apud, circa, cis, citra, clam,
extended their meanings, necessitated contra,
in coram, cum, de, erga, ex, extra, in, infra,
part by the loss of the other prepositions,inter, intra, juxta, ob, palam, penes, per, pone,
as well as by the fall of the Latin case post, prae, praeter, pro, prope, propter,
secundum, sine, sub, subter, subtus, super, tenus,
system. To fill other needs, combinations
trans, uls, ultra.
of prepositions, often with other words,
4 See: Leavitt O. Wright and Robert E. Sonder-
were used, and in some instances othergard, "The A of Separation," in Hispania
parts of speech changed meaning and (1951), XXXIV, 354-356.
function to become prepositions. TheI The Spanish prepositions are: a, ante, bajo,
few Spanish prepositions' thus find fre-
contra, con, de, debajo, dentro, desde, en, entre,
quent use due to their numerous mean-hacia, hasta, por, para, salvo, segzin, sin, so,
ings and functions. sobre, tras.

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