Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site lasspvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!houxm!vax135!cornell!lasspvax!gtaylor
From: gtaylor@lasspvax.UUCP (Greg Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Prepositions; misinterpretations; evolutions
Message-ID: <272@lasspvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 28-Mar-85 10:20:36 EST
Article-I.D.: lasspvax.272
Posted: Thu Mar 28 10:20:36 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Mar-85 00:24:32 EST
References: <>
Reply-To: gtaylor@lasspvax.UUCP (Greg Taylor)
Organization: LASSP, Cornell University
Lines: 19
Summary: 

At least insofar as Dutch is concerned, the business of ending on
a preposition is *quite* common. I understand that German does it,
too (German is, after all, a slightly debased form of Dutch ;-) ).

The technique refers to a class of verbs called "separable". The verb has
a preposition as a prefix [ ex: "opbellen": to telephone]. When the
verb is used, the prefix is separated and then tacked on to the end of the
sentence.)

Ik bel jou op. (I call you up).

In the past tense, one characteristically adds a 'ge' prefix. In the case of
the separable verb, the prefix drops between the preposition and the verb
stem.

Ik heb jou opgebeld.

So it doesn't retain its original position. Needless to say, it takes a little
getting used to.