Something to talk about: The problem of the prepositional phrase in Dutch and Czech Cover Image

Iets om over te praten. De problematiek van het voorzetselvoorwerp in het Nederlands en het Tsjechisch
Something to talk about: The problem of the prepositional phrase in Dutch and Czech

Author(s): Wilken Engelbrecht, Kateřina Křížová
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Foreign languages learning, Theoretical Linguistics, Syntax
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego
Keywords: prepositional object; adverbial clause; Dutch; Czech; traditional syntax.

Summary/Abstract: For foreign students, the prepositional object is among the most problematic syntactic features of the Dutch language, as its form presents strong similarities with the adverbial clause, but it has an object function. In some cases it is very difficult to even decide whether the prepositional phrase has an adverbial function or is an object comparable with the direct object. In this paper the Dutch prepositional object is compared with similar constructions in the Czech language. Furthermore, the function of the preposition and its categorisation are briefly discussed. The paper ends with some criteria for Czech-speaking students to recognize a prepositional object as such.

  • Issue Year: 31/2021
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 43-56
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Dutch