LIETUVIŲ KALBOS GRAMATIKOS TYRINĖJIMAI

LIETUVOS TSR MOKSLŲ AKADEMIJA

THE USE OF THE PREPOSITION PRIEŠ (PRIEŠAIS) IN CONTEMPORARY LITHUANIAN

E. VALIULYTĖ

In literary language, the preposition prieš also has a longer form—priešais—though it is used less frequently, for example: A paper for killing flies, hung from the ceiling, dangled in front of his nose. CvR₁ I 221.

More variants of this preposition are used in dialects: preš KzR, Nm, Škn, Sk, Žg, pryš Škn, Sk, Šts, Plt, Krt, Klp, Kp, priš Šlu, Škn, priešai Klvr, pryšais Škn, priešu Lkm, Slk, priešiai Knv.

In literary language, the preposition prieš, when used with the accusative, expresses various relations: 1) spatial (to stand in front of a mirror, to run in front of a cart, to swim against the current), 2) temporal (to leave a year earlier, to finish before the rain), 3) opposition (to revolt against the authorities, to grumble against the masters), 4) comparison (small compared with me).

1. Meanings of spatial relations

The preposition prieš is most often used to express spatial relations. Several spatial meanings of the preposition prieš with the accusative can be distinguished.

1) The meaning of a location in front of something. The preposition prieš is used to indicate that something is or takes place in front of the front or central part of an object named by the dependent constituent of the phrase. In such cases, the head constituent is a word denoting a state, position, or concrete physical action.

a) This meaning is most prominent in phrases whose dependent constituent consists of words denoting persons.

Four children, aged from 4 to 8, stood in front of their mother as they saw her off. Vaižg RR I 385. Antanas, wherever he had been, took Marikė by the hand, knelt—and both knelt down before their parents. ŽemR III 356. Pranas Strimas was still standing in front of Petras. VenclGD 71. Two boys playing the parts of lilac sellers stood before the judge. BalčTVN 195.

The construction prieš akis (which can be expanded by an attribute) merits separate mention; it is usually used when one wishes to say that there is a broad expanse, a large or indeterminate quantity of things, and so on, in front of a person.

Then the valley of the Vengrė would stretch out before one, striped with crops of various colors. CvR₁ II 28. A multitude of lamps blazed before our eyes; near one entrance townspeople stood in a denser crowd, looking at the pictures on display. CvR₁ V 76. Having gone up to the room,

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Karolis was wafted by the smell of paint and some kind of medicine, and before his eyes shimmered the outlines and colors of dozens of paintings. VencKGD 342. Just recently, you had all the animals before your eyes—and how could you go astray while I ate breakfast! Dkš. Nothing can be seen before one's eyes. Rm.

Faces, caps, and kerchiefs flickered before Juras's eyes. CvR₁ V 234. A new figure appeared before my eyes. CvR₁ II 190. With his face turned toward the west, where the sun slowly sinks, gazing into space—not the space before him, but the space within himself—Mykoliukas keeps playing the same melody over and over. Vaižg RR I 41.

This construction can also be used in a temporal sense, meaning “in the future, ahead.”

There is still a lot of time ahead. Pn. There is time enough to get it done and to swim to one's heart's content; summer lies ahead, long and open. BaltPV I 37. Military service lies ahead of him (military service). All the work still lies ahead; nothing has been done yet. Kp.

b) The meaning of being in front of something is also clear in phrases whose dependent component is a word denoting objects with a clearly distinguished front or central part; in other cases, this meaning is less pronounced.

He stood before a small, already decayed wooden cross. CvR₁ II 359. One morning, after getting up, Mr. Kurminas saw Dotkus kneeling bareheaded before his porch. VienMA 136. The two stood before a three-story house. VencIGD 420. The little hotel was on the second floor of a large wooden house, facing the market square. VencIGD 292. Petras watched as Marta sat down with a smile before the table covered with a white tablecloth. VencIGD 74. When guests came to visit the gentleman, they roasted chickens skewered on an iron spit in front of the oven. Skr. For a while the papers smoldered, then flared up in a bright flame, and the old man, sitting on a bench before the fireplace, followed the curling pages with pensive eyes. VencIGD 51. He sat facing the lamp's light, and now the old man could see him clearly in full. VencIGD 54. When the German got off his bicycle by the hillock, near the well, the widow smiled at him. CvR₁ II 230. When you have come to a stop before the waves, call me by name. SNėrR I 428.

The meaning of being in front of something may also be emphasized by other words, for example, directly, squarely, and so on.

Stašys lives on the same side of the street, directly across from Daubaras's homestead. Myk-PutS I 29. Here is a letter received squarely before my eyes, to which I must reply. VaižgRR I 138. Sitting opposite Marta was Colonel Dalba-Dalbaitis, a fond drinker. VencIGD 100.

c) In certain cases, phrases with the preposition before may express spatial relations with a nuance of conditional meaning.

Vilnius was also nearby; its towers gleamed in the sun. MarcinkDP 91. The old man sat down opposite him, so that his bald head gleamed in the sun. BM 145. By the barns stood heaps of manure that had not been hauled away in time and had dried considerably in the sun. VencIGD 88. The hundred-headed snakes dry in the moonlight—then the nine-headed one will slither about, gnawing at the trees. SNėrR I 433. The wagon is heavier going uphill. M.

d) The preposition before is used in pronominal expressions one before another, before one another, before one the other, before another. It should be noted that these expressions occur not only with verbs denoting position and state, but also with verbs of movement and abstract meaning.

In the ferryman's small hut, at the writing desk, two men sit facing each other. CvR₁ II 99. Stepukas and I made willow whistles and sat playing opposite ki-

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the one on the stone. BaltPV I 55. It began to grow dark, and the two of them sat facing one another. VenclGD 151. The little trees sway toward one another, as if talking or greeting each other. ŽemR III 492. They dance like roosters facing one another. They argue with one another. They spar with one another, talk. J. They quarreled over a trifle and quietly growled at one another. SimonVK I 216. They smiled and joked with the girls, each showing off their new clothes to the others. VienP 143.

e) The meaning of being at the forefront of something is also reflected in the use of the preposition prieš in constructions whose main constituent is a word denoting a mental state, an act of will, and so on, while the dependent constituent is a person, a collective, or, less often, an object in relation to which (and often in whose presence) that state is manifested¹.

Enough! You have brought enough shame upon yourself by humiliating yourself before a gang of scoundrels. SNérP I 237. Often he himself, just like Monika, had to blush before people because she could not only not read, but could not even sign her own name. CvR I V 58. But now you are merely weak egoists who love yourselves and, in misfortune, trample underfoot those before whom you once trembled and prayed. BilR I 49. Oh, what a shame, what a shame—he made a fool of himself in front of everyone! CvR I II 54. Where could you hide your face before your mother, before the whole village? VaižgRR I 246. They respected him, loved him, and even took pride before other estates in having such a steward, who could even do a little “schlecker.” VaižgRR I 50. As it seemed to me, they spoke only in order to boast before me that they spoke Polish. VienIMA 283. Once Šmukštaras wiped the floor with me too, when I wanted to show off my learning before the night herders. VienIMA 182. You promised your husband that you would truly love him, that even if he scolded you every day, you would remain silent before him. Plv. And almost every day she bowed her back, now before Grau žinis, now before Laužadis. Gud-GuzR I 122. But, so as not to sin against the truth, I will tell everything about what I spoke of with the king then. BalčGK 126.

The preposition prieš is used similarly in noun phrases and also with one or another adjective; in this case, however, abstract relations are usually expressed, without any spatial nuance.

After her mother’s death, the girl grew up early and felt a responsibility toward her brothers and her father. VenclGD 15. He wants citizens to fulfil their duties to society not out of fear and coercion, but from understanding and a sense of responsibility toward their fellow human beings. BalčGK 297. This is our right and our duty to our people, to our culture, to history… VenclLR 56. And you, my dear little one, beware of keeping secrets from me. ŽemR I 238.

Oh, Juliau, Juliau, we are guilty toward you, very guilty. SajK 128. That was a very long time ago, when he (the raven) was still young, his wings strong and firm, his blood warm, his chest resilient against wind and storm on a long journey. CvR II 27. The teacher felt helpless in the face of the class (rš).

2) Meaning of movement in the opposite direction. The preposition prieš is used to express that something moves from the opposite side, in the opposite direction to the object named by the dependent constituent of the phrase.

The lexical meaning of the dependent constituent in phrases expressing this meaning is very restricted. It is usually a word denoting objects that move (or lie in a particular direction). The main constituent is a verb of motion.

¹ Cf. E. Fraenkel, Syntax der litauischen Postpositionen und Präpositionen, Heidelberg, 1929, p. 271—272.

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It is difficult to row against the current. JablRR I 662. Chugging evenly and monotonously, a small steamboat sails against the water. BilR I 131. When the wind blows against the sun, the weather will be bad; when it blows with the sun—it will be good. Prk. But what can you do, old man, against such a wind? SimonP 36. He set off angrily, hurrying and trudging against the wind, uphill too; his feet kept tangling in his clothes, and it was hard. ŽemR III 84. When you stroke (a cat) against the grain, it gets angry. Slm. It is hard to carry grains of sand up a little hill. JD 551. Old and young ran to watch: twelve horses were pulling (a bell) uphill. CvR₁II 197. Twice a day Šimša hauled himself up the clay hill with his lopsided mare... CvR₁ II 327. I look—and a white post is coming toward me. Ktk. Three people were walking toward us. Ds. She sees a band of robbers coming toward her. Slk. They drove the children and adolescents toward the black crows into the sprawling elm grove at Graužinis’s outlying homestead, while the adults—men and women alike—were driven toward the lapwings into the marsh. Gud-GuzR I 23.

The preposition prieš is used with the pronoun save to express direction “forward.” He walked straight ahead, taking hurried steps and groaning painfully from time to time. ŽemR III 187. [The calf] looked timidly ahead. CvR₁II 106. Through the haze of tears, Elena looked ahead and suddenly saw Edvardas in the crowd. VencIGD 219.

As the examples show, this refers not to two (or more) objects, but to one. In this respect, this use of the preposition differs from the others.

It should be noted that after verbs of motion the preposition prieš can indicate not only direction but also location, cf.: to walk in front of the cart, to walk beside the cart, to walk behind the cart. These phrases indicate the location of an object while it is moving, cf.: to stand in front of the cart, to stand beside the cart, to stand behind the cart.

The locative meaning in the examples is difficult to distinguish from the directional meaning. The broader context removes this ambiguity.

The county gendarme Gumelis, who had paid attention neither to his companions running ahead of him nor to his horse’s tail, lost his way and drove the cart into a frog marsh. CvR₁ II 172. At first, no priest had been seen walking ahead of the fever-stricken man. VencIGD 218.

In literary language, the preposition pirma with the genitive is also used in this sense, cf.:

What goes before a person? (a shadow) LŠ. Musicians are accustomed to walking ahead of the horses, holding the reins. Skr. The dog runs ahead of the horse. Sv. Before him, the young man led his dapple-gray horses. TŽ II 374.

2. The meaning of temporal relations

Depending on the semantics of the dependent constituent in a word combination, two cases can be distinguished in which the preposition prieš is used to express time.

1) The preposition prieš is used with words denoting units of time and indicates how much time has elapsed between the occurrence of an action and the moment of speaking.

The swine fever that raged years ago instilled enough fear and anxiety in everyone. CvR₁II 108. They say he had been walking around like someone out of sorts, looking bluish, as long as a month ago. CvR₁ II 343. The consultation had been convened just an hour ago. VencIGD 212. Why, Edvardas had come home just half an hour ago. VencIGD 274.

Nouns denoting units of time are often used with an attribute expressed by words indicating quantity.

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Two weeks ago she wrote that she would most likely receive an appointment in Belarus. VenclGD 235. After all, the newspapers and books had been stuffed in there four days ago. VenclGD 129. Why, it was only a couple of years ago that he slashed me with a belt—and I still have a bruise. CvR₁ V 219. Some, the cleverest ones, had already got things sorted out half a year ago, while others did so even earlier. VenclGD 40. The residents immediately recognized the musician—the same bow-legged man who, a few days earlier, had brought a group here to Mykolas’s cherry tree. CvR₁ II 125. While giving birth to her, Ona’s mother—who had buried the child’s father only a few months earlier—died. CvR₁ II 29 Here are the benches we made a few years ago. CvR₁ II 115. There is Karpis, who freed his serfs without land several years ago and today has a cheap workforce, albeit hired. Myk-PutS I 85. The house had been built many years ago: you could push a finger right through its rotten, woodworm-eaten logs. CvR₁ II 280.

2) The preposition prieš is used to express a particular fact as a point in time before which an action takes place or occurs. The dependent constituent in such combinations is a noun denoting an action, state, event, or the like.

At the end of the month they appear in the street, before the trains depart. CvR₁ II 291. The chairman asked him to come to the district office tomorrow, before the meeting. CvR₁ II 375. The weather calmed, as if before a great change. CvR₁ I 263. My grandfather and father lived in the Baltic region all the time before that war, representing a firm dealing in agricultural machinery. CvR₁ II 251. We’ll meet again, we’ll certainly meet again before the journey. VenclGD 410. We talked with him before his death. CvR₁ V 165. I tried to think up light dreams for myself before going to sleep. CvR₁ II 277. Just don’t forget: chew something on an empty stomach before eating. CvR₁ II 28. She hadn’t even raked up half of it before the storm, after all. SNėrR I 257. The sluggard bends down to the ground like that—is it perhaps before rain? CvR₁ V 104. All the guests left only just before dawn. ŽemR III 143. I got up this morning before daylight. Ob. It seemed as though the whole earth was washing itself before a great and very joyful celebration. BaltPV I 51. It would take a year to record when the flax was sown on the small rise in Sakalauskas’s field before Pentecost—it had fully ripened and yielded a harvest before the feast of St. John. CvR₁ II 325. Before haymaking, not only the men of Užuožeriai village would turn to him, but mowers would also come from other, more distant areas asking him to fit a scythe blade to a handle for them. VienIMA 111. So why are you hanging your head here like a horse before slaughter? VaižgRR I 207. A hen crowing does not bode well. Ds. A little before twelve, the old altarist was driven to the church by frost. ŽemR III 115. Toward the end of her life, she seemed to have given up that ugly habit. Skr. The child began walking before turning one (not yet one year old). Er.

The preposition prieš also marks time when used with nouns that ordinarily denote concrete things but acquire the meaning of an action or process when used with the preposition.

Before the rye harvest (before cutting the rye) we want to mow the meadow. Trgn. Before the calf (before calving) they milked the cow. Er. Before the meat course, the matchmaker uncorked the bottles too. VaižgRR I 211. Before the dumplings, everyone was given a glass of moonshine. VienR V 45. What, good lad, isn’t that right? I knew him even before prison... VenclGD 355.

The preposition prieš can also be used with words denoting persons.

Before Jablonskis, many sentences with non-Lithuanian constructions had appeared in our written language. LK I 57. I came before him. Ktk.

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A prepositional construction may occur with specifying words that precisely indicate the interval separating the events being discussed.

He finished mending the net and went fishing two hours before daybreak, as was customary. BalčTVN 180. Half an hour remained before that ride. LnkV. As if foreseeing the imminent outbreak of war, after working for only about four months, Būga returned to Lithuania 3–4 days before the border was closed. BūgRR I 45. A couple of days before the performance, the actors gathered for a dress rehearsal. CvR₁ II 84.

Egged on by his relatives and friends, he went and got married just before being called up for military service. VienlMA 32. [Jarmala] softened so much that just before the division of Pamituvys, he ordered the farmhands and landless peasants to be summoned to an important meeting. CvR₁ V 42. The woman did not live to see the new, bright house that Kiškis had undertaken to build just before her death. CvR₁ II 74. Just before Christmas, news arrived: the government had been overthrown. CvR₁ V 150. The people of Kaunas told one another that Raulas’s father was a young canon who had been transferred to Courland just before Raulas’s birth. BilR I 33.

The construction prieš laiką is worth noting; it has the generalized meaning “too early, earlier than.”

His death, which came before its time, was the greatest blow and an invaluable loss to science and society. LK I 83. Well before the appointed time, [Ona] found herself in the grove, beneath an oak. CvR₁ II 45.

3. The meaning of opposition

From the construction with the preposition prieš, the characteristic meaning of a specific direction of movement developed into an abstract meaning of opposition, which usually arises when describing relations between people. This transition is clearly illustrated, for example, by to go prieš me, which can have two meanings: a concrete spatial meaning and an abstract meaning of opposition².

1) Relations of opposition are expressed by combinations with the preposition prieš, whose principal component is a verb meaning attack, resistance, or defense, while the dependent component is a noun, most often denoting persons and, less frequently, other concepts.

Would a worker really fight against a worker? CvR₁ II 345–346. Looking around, the little doctor would whisper that the Poles were preparing to rebel against the government, and that Lithuania would rise up too. Myk-PutS I 46. A few days later, Šatas was dismissed from the office and later tried for having attempted against the life of his superior. CvR₁ II 83. Only the blacksmith Diržys incited people against both the estate owners and the chief lord himself—the “emperor.” Gud-GuzR I 39. He bristled even against his mother for taking in a live-in son-in-law. If her husband could not find work and she could not withstand a cruel life, she would give herself over to the wide streets of the tropical city. CvR₁ II 296. He is not afraid to raise his hand against his father. Ds. The woman was kind-hearted, never spoke harshly to the farmhand, and on more than one occasion tried to shield him from her husband. CvR₁ II 68. I asked them to take pity on us and defend us against the robbers. BalčGK 150.

Verbs of speech can also serve as the principal component, often carrying a sense of opposition or hostility.

^² See E. Fraenkel, cited work, p. 271; P. Būtėnas, Lietuvių kalbos prielinksnių mokslas, Kaunas, 1930, p. 120.

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“Do not blaspheme against God,” the monk said gloomily. VencIGD 206. Worn out by winter and years of poor harvests, people grumbled against the committees set up to help those affected. CvR₁ V 124. An old man is an old man, after all; all he knew how to do was help and grumble at the train that had carried his son away too. CvR₁ II 338. The ranks of those speaking out against the lords, the discontented, were growing. CvR₁ V 35. In confidence, the little doctor Dimša would talk even against the tsar and all his rule. Myk-PutS I 46. Butvila is a very sharp man; he does not like anyone speaking against him. CvR₁ II 309.

The preposition prieš is similarly used in noun phrases. In this case, the head is a noun denoting an action or the result of an action.

What a struggle ours is against the present world, for another—the future, communist one! Gud-GuzR I 359. In little Tom’s chest, as he ran ever farther away, anger and resolve against great injustice were gathering. CvR₁ II 25. Petras had already heard plenty of grumbling against the lords and the authorities. Myk-PutS I 64. Was there some evil scheme against my master, or merely a wish to play a joke? BalčTVN 22. Many regarded Gulliver’s Travels as a delightful tale and failed to see that it had a profound meaning: a merciless satire against England’s order, laws, customs, and politics. BalčGk 295. I came to ask for help against Sapiega. SruogR III 241. Tomorrow a new trial against the newspaper Avgi begins in Chania (Crete). T 1960 277.

The meaning of opposition is also prominent in pronominal phrases.

Those who are for Pečiūra, stay where you are; those who are against him, move over to the right. Vien IMA 104. I am against you, even though everyone will be for you.

An independent use of prieš, that is, without a case form, with the same meaning has also arisen from the prepositional construction.

Those who are for me, go to the right; those who are against, to the left. But student Vabalaitis said neither “for” nor “against,” fearing he might anger his landlady. DovydPK 85. For the first time in his life, he lets himself be beaten without fighting back. SimonVK I 107.

In phrases where the dependent element is an abstract noun such as valia ‘will’ or noras ‘wish’ with a genitive attribute, the construction acquires a concessive nuance.

Against his will, Father remembered how, a couple of years earlier, Jonas had been brought home in a truck, bloodied, with his head smashed in. VencIGD 46. Against Anatolis’s will, his father had wanted to marry him off to a pockmarked American woman who was incredibly rich. CvR₁ II 41. A dreadful twilight flooded the cottage; everyone stood silent and pale—weeping against their will. SNerR I 224. You had entered that room against my will... now you must go there again against your will. And the school was not allowed to open against the will of the whole village. BalčGP 99. Gud-GuzR I 29.

2) The preposition prieš is used, more often in written texts, to denote an object directed against another object, intended to destroy or remove it.

There are no herbs against death. SimonVK I 76. I heard that they already have—or have discovered—good medicines against blood diseases. SimonVK II 363. Lime-sulfur decoctions are widely used against various fungal diseases (rs). In the Soviet Union, vaccination against diphtheria is compulsory for everyone. Diphtheria vaccinations are combined with

5. Lietuvių kalbos gramatikos tyrinėjimai

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vaccines against whooping cough. Of all the measures against influenza, special vaccines are the most effective³. Fly agaric against stomachache. Prk.

In these examples, alongside the meaning of opposition, a nuance of purpose also emerges. However, in literary language the preposition nuo with the genitive is usually used in such cases, cf.:

Little nubs are good for fright. Ktk. Everyone knew that she had many kinds of herbs, roots, liquids, and little stones for various ailments. Myk-PutS I 26. Medicine is needed for headaches, for tangled hair, for the rumbling of the bridge, for the stink of the polecat (ps). Alvt. She dried herbs: bogbean and elecampane for heart weakness, for frightening dreams. CvR₁ V 157.

However, the purpose relations in each of these prepositional constructions are expressed somewhat differently. The preposition nuo merely indicates that one thing is intended to keep another thing away or separate it, whereas the preposition prieš also emphasizes the antagonism between things.

4. Comparative meaning

The comparative meaning has also developed from the locative meaning—things situated opposite one another are very easy to compare, and one of them can serve as a backdrop for the other⁴.

1) The preposition prieš is used to express comparative relations with a nuance of contrast⁵. By setting things in contrast, we emphasize their difference more strongly, e.g.: The dog is of medium height, but small compared with its father. The preposition prieš is used with this meaning in the following cases⁶:

a) In adjective phrases, where the basis of comparison is expressed by the positive form of the adjective.

They are quite foolish compared with you. JabIRR I 663. Teaching is easy compared with childhood. Ktk.

b) In verb phrases (less commonly).

The snow on the summit of Kazbek darkened against the whiteness of their faces; the black blossoms of the mountain-poppy in the valley paled against the blackness of their eyes, eyebrows, and braids, and the pleasant splashing roar of the waves of the Kistynėlė faded against the sonority of their speech and songs. VienPL 84.

c) In interrogative sentences.

What do fingernails amount to compared with milk? BaltPV I 9. Who are you compared with me? ŽemR III 582.

2) In negative sentences, the preposition prieš is used to express comparative relations with a nuance of exclusion.

There is no singing more beautiful than the nightingale’s. Ds. There are no songs like the songs of Lithuania... Didž-ŽmA 84.

³ For more, see A. Kučinskaitė, Notes on the use of the verb skiepyti, “Kalbos kultūra,” 4, Vilnius, 1963, pp. 44–46.

⁴ Plg. В. И. Съедин, Предлоги немецкого языка, Москва, 1963, p. 132, 134, 259.

⁵ Cf. N. A. Shirokova, From the History of Prepositional Constructions Expressing Comparative-Contrastive Relations, Kazan, 1963, p. 17, 28–33.

⁶ Žr. Lietuvių kalbos gramatinė sandara, Vilnius, 1967, p. 89–90.

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5. The meaning of recompense

The preposition prieš is used only occasionally to express recompense. In such cases, it is said that one object is exchanged for another identical object. The opposition here consists in the fact that the exchange in question is necessary or compulsory.

A head for a head must be given up, laid down. Šts. A cake for a cake: as you do unto me, so I do unto you. Škn. Now I’ll set tooth for tooth again. Škn. A gift for a gift. Ds. Thanks for thanks. Dkš. Now, a word for a word, a speech for a speech. GrušMDV 77.

In literary language, the preposition už with the accusative is more commonly used to express recompense relations; cf.:

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. The merchant immediately agreed and gave the cat in exchange for the ship (ps). Pnm.

In dialects (and sometimes in written texts), the preposition prieš, in addition to the accusative, also governs the genitive, dative, and instrumental, but it has no new meanings with these cases⁷.

1) The preposition prieš with the genitive was found to occur only with spatial and comparative meanings.

a) We lived opposite the pharmacy. Rm. Several old and young men, dressed in slaves’ clothes, sat opposite him. BalčHP 112. The old man set the honey on the little table opposite us, and put a plate and knife by me. KrevAP 113. The young man had not yet dismounted from his grey horse, had not yet come near the blazing fire, had not yet bowed his fine head before his dear old father, before his grey head... KrevP 75. We were travelling against the wind. Er.

b) There were no tastier pears than hers. Ds.

2) With the dative, the preposition prieš is used both prepositionally and postpositionally, and expresses spatial and oppositional relations.

a) Our in-laws are shameless; they stand in front of us, in front of us, wearing hats. JV 531. They sing standing on the floor opposite those who are eating. JR 64. He ran ahead of his companions... Jrk 19. The Stagaras live on the other side of the street, opposite the Karaliai. SimonVK I 101. Sit opposite him and say: “Wolf, wolf, swallow me.” BsMt I 9.

b) The disobedient child keeps grumbling at his father. Jnšk. A good child does not talk back to his father. Trgn.

3) Occasionally, the preposition prieš is also used with the instrumental.

I always long to have that sign of yours before my eyes. Iv. Let nothing of the kind enter in that we might have before the eyes of God and be ashamed before our parents. Iv. Why, should I have to justify myself before you!.. ŽemR III 16.

Compared with them, we look like crickets. Iv.

⁷ See J. Jablonskis, cited work, p. 663; E. Fraenkel, cited work, p. 268; P. Būtėnas, cited work, p. 118.

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THE USE OF THE PREPOSITION prieš (priešais) IN MODERN LITHUANIAN

E. VALIULYTĖ

Abstract

The preposition prieš is used with the accusative case in standard Lithuanian and helps express the following relations:

1. Spatial relations, among which the following can be distinguished:

a) The meaning of being located opposite something or someone, e.g.: Strimas vis dar stovėjo prieš Petrą. – Strimas was still standing opposite Petras.

This meaning may acquire a figurative nuance, e.g.: Blizga stogas prieš saulę. – The roof shines in the sun (literally: against the sun).

Also related to the meaning of place is the use of the preposition prieš to denote a person in whose presence an action is performed or a characteristic is revealed, e.g.: Dažnai jam pačiam reikėjo prieš žmones raudonuoti. – He himself often had to blush in front of people.

b) The meaning of direction, e.g.: Prieš srovę plaukti sunku. – It is difficult to swim against the current.

2. Two types of temporal relations:

a) The preposition prieš is used to express a period of time preceding the performance of an action, e.g.: Sako, jau prieš mėnesį vaikščiojęs kaip nesavas. – They say that already a month ago he was walking around as if not himself.

b) To express the moment when an action is performed, e.g.: Stengavausi prieš miegą sugalvoti sau lengvus sapnus. – I tried to think up pleasant dreams for myself before going to sleep.

3. This preposition expresses relations of hostility, e.g.: Darbininkas negi kovosi prieš darbininką? – Worker, are you really going to fight against a worker?

This meaning may acquire a concessive nuance, e.g.: Tėvas prieš savo valią atsiminė... – The father remembered against his will...

4. The preposition prieš also expresses comparative relations with a nuance of contrast, e.g.: Jie prieš tave visai kvailučiai. – Compared with you, they are complete little fools.

5. In dialects, this preposition is also used to express relations of retribution, e.g.: Galvą prieš galvą reiks atiduoti. – One will have to give a head for a head (literally: against a head).

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