Datapoint Early Sranan/Order of adposition and noun phrase

Adpositional phrases always contain a preposition. With locative and, occasionally, temporal meanings, an additional specifying element such as baka 'back, behind' or ini 'in(side)' may appear either before or after the noun. The specifying items cannot function as preposition or postposition by themselves, but always co-occurs with the general preposition na: Cf. the case of baka in the following examples:

(1a) na baka disi oso
LOC back this house

(1b) na baka fu disi oso
LOC back of this house

(2a) na disi oso baka
LOC this house back

'behind the house'

For constructions like (2a), compare also examples 9, 12 and 15.

With pronouns, the specifying element always comes after the pronoun:

(2b) na yu baka
LOC 2SG back
'behind you'

Type (1a) is the most frequent with full NPs; type (1b) the least frequent. There does not appear to be a semantic difference between the types. With pronouns, the only option is type (2b), with the specifying item following the noun phrase.
The relative importance provided for Value 5 (Minority) regards cases where a specifying item follows a noun phrase containing a full noun.

Values

Prepositions

Example 1-8:
A wakka go na Galileakondre, ma a no go na Nazareth.
A
3sg.sbj
waka
travel
go
go
na
loc
Galileakondre,
Galilee.country
ma
but
a
3sg.sbj
no
neg
go
go
na
loc
Nazareth.
Nazareth
He travelled to Galilee, but he did not go to Nazareth.

Source: Schumann 1781: 45

Example 1-10:
Dem sa trussu ju na ondro teh na inni horro va didübri.
Den
3pl
sa
fut
trusu
thrust
yu
2sg
na
loc
ondro
under
te
till
na
loc
ini
inside
oro
hole
fu
of
d'dibri.
devil
They will push you down right into the devil's hole.

Source: Schumann 1781: 163

Example 1-11:
Dem nakki mi nanga wippi.
Den
3pl
naki
hit
mi
1sg
nanga
with
wipi.
whip
They beat me with the whip.
German: Ich bin mit dem Peitschen-Stock geschlagen worden. [op.cit.]

Source: Schumann 1783: 47

Example 1-13:
A no wanni wakka na Djukondre.
A
3sg.sbj
no
neg
wani
want
waka
walk
na
loc
Dyukondre.
Jew.country
He did not want to travel around in Judea. [NOT: He did not want to go to Judea.]

Source: Schumann 1781: 130

Example 1-14:
Wi zy gi pikien drinki na den didde zomma toe.
Wi
1pl
sa
fut
gi
give
pikin
little
dringi
drink
na
to
den
det.pl
dede
dead
soma
person
tu.
too
We will give some liquor to the dead too.
Dutch: Dan zellen wy met een onze Dooden wat Eeten en Drinken geeven. [op.cit.]

Source: van Dyk ca. 1765: 109

Example 1-18:
A trueh watra na inni vo wan tobbo.
A
3sg.sbj
trowe
throw
watra
water
na
loc
ini
in(side)
fu
of
wan
indf.sg
tobo.
tub
He threw water in a tub.

Source: Schumann 1781: 244

Example 1-19:
Mi kommotto na inni djari.
Mi
1sg
komoto
come.out
na
loc
ini
in(side)
dyari.
garden
I’m coming out of the garden.
German: Ich komme aus dem Garten (eigentlich: aus dem inwendigen des Gartens.). [op.cit.]

Source: Schumann 1783: 75

Confidence:
Very certain