Prepositional Phrases as Complements in Prepositional Phrases

Sa？etak The paper explores the instances where a prepositional phrase has its headword complemented by another prepositional phrase. Typically, grammars explaining this phenomenon focus primarily on either spatial or temporal (as extensions of the spatial relations into the temporal sphere) meanings that the complements carry. Hence, grammars routinely identify prepositions which may be complemented by a PP and, consequently, those which may not. The paper looks at the conceptual structures of the prepositions which the grammars claim to be able to take prepositional phrases as complements. All those prepositions are lative and reduce the landmarks to zero-dimensionality. The paper then tests the thesis that all prepositions with such conceptual structures allow complementation by prepositional phrases. A small-scale survey is included in the paper’s appendix to boost the credibility of its main thesis