"preposition stranding"Meghatározása és Jelentése

What is "preposition stranding"?

Preposition stranding is a linguistic phenomenon in which a preposition is left at the end of a clause or sentence instead of appearing before its object. This structure often occurs in informal spoken English and is typically found in relative clauses or questions. For example, in the sentence "Who are you talking to?" the preposition "to" is stranded at the end, while the object "who" follows it. In contrast, a more formal structure would be "To whom are you talking?" Preposition stranding is generally accepted in casual conversation and is important for understanding the flexibility of language in different contexts. Recognizing this phenomenon helps to grasp variations in sentence structure and the nuances of spoken language.