Comparative Linguistics – Class … 2023

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH AND KOREA PREPOSITIONS

Nurhamelia1 Putri Amelia Damayanti2

12050301661 12050301732
nur.hhamelia@gmail.com1 putriameliaduinsgd@gmail.com2

ABSTRACT

This study aims to analyze the form, position, function and application of prepositions between English
and Korean. The research method used in analyzing the object of research with qualitative research
methods and comparative descriptive methods. The data collection technique for this study used
observation and note-taking techniques from an object study source in English and Korean books. The
findings of this study indicate that (1) The shape of the prepositional particle of both languages is clearly
different;(2) The position of the particles in English and Korean in declarative sentences is also different;
(3) There are 6 particle functions in English and 12 functions in Korean;(4) The use of prepositions both
in English and Korean has an active role in sentence formation.
Keywords: Preposition, English, Korean

INTRODUCTION
The influence of Korean-Wave or K-Wave in Indonesia has grown rapidly, even until this
moment the numbers continue to soar. Starting from the world of entertainment such as dramas and
music, then spreading to the linguistic world, the language has influenced Korean lovers who are
generally in their teens to late 20s. The emergence of various Korean language learning platforms is a
point where Korea has successfully invaded its language and culture into the Southeast Asian market, in
this case Indonesia, Kadek et al. (2022). The most popular lesson for beginners is learning the alphabets
of the Korean language, which are notoriously different from the usual alphabets of English. The shape of
the letters and words attracts the attention of fans of Korean culture.
The difference in letter forms between Korean and languages that use alphabetic letters such as
English makes a research opportunity regarding the differences between Korean and English which can
be seen from the smallest unit, namely morphemes and words. According to Aarts & Aarts (1988) words
can be classified into several word classes based on the categories of form, function, and meaning in the
grammatical system. Word classes are divided into two, namely large word classes or commonly referred
to as open classes in which new words can be added to the class. And small words or referred to as closed
classes in which new words cannot be formed. (Aarts & Aarts, 1988). In English, word classes are
divided into two parts, namely major word classes and minor word classes. Included in the major word
classes are nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. As for the minor word class, it is divided into 7
categories, namely prepositions, conjunctions, articles, numbers, pronouns, quantifiers and interjections
(Aarts & Aarts, 1988).
This research focuses on prepositions. A preposition is a word or set of words used before a noun,
personal pronoun, or noun phrase to indicate direction, location, time, place relationship or introduce an
object. Gries (2002) stated that preposition is different from its complement. Preposition shows the
relationship between a word and other words in a sentence based on its context (Bruckfield, 2011).
Therefore, it is necessary to understand the use of prepositions in order to be able to use prepositions
according to their context.
Research on prepositional differences has been conducted by Nurnovika (2019) with the title
“Perbandingan Partikel Preposisi Bahasa Indonesia dengan Bahasa Korea : Sebuah Analisis Kontrastif”
which discusses preposition particles from Indonesian and Korean. The results of the study state that there
are differences in the use of Indonesian and Korean prepositions from the form of prepositions,
Indonesian in the form of word units while Korean in the form of morphemes, the position of
prepositional particles is also different where for Indonesian prepositions it is located before nouns while
Korean prepositions are located after nouns, and differences in the number of prepositional functions,
there are 16 prepositional particles in Indonesian while in Korean only 11. The difference between this
research and the previous research is the object of the language being studied. This research is interesting
to study considering that English is an international language that many countries want to learn as well as

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Korean. It is hoped that this research can help language learners to better understand the grammatical
learning of these two languages.

THEORY & METHODOLOGY

The opinion of the Korean language used by researchers in this study is based on Ahn Jae
Myung's opinion (2013) in his book Grammar in Use: Beginning to Early Intermediate. And for English
follow the opinion of Andrew Bruckfield (2012) with title Prepositions The Ultimate Book Mastering
English Prepositions.
This research will use a qualitative descriptive approach with reference to Dwiyanto (2021). The
characteristics of research using a qualitative approach will depend on the strength of the narrative and
the opinion of the researcher. Then he came into direct contact with the ground and thought inductively.
Scholars have a dynamic developmental perspective and orient themselves to unique social situations and
realities. According to Nugrahani (2014) that the objectives of qualitative research generally follow the
direction of the paradigm used by the researcher. Paradigm in this case is reflected from the assumptions,
methodological concepts, and theoretical concepts of researchers. The research design is also more
flexible according to Gunawan (2013).
This research will use a comparative analysis to compare the two languages, namely English and
Korean. Quoting from Sudaryanto (1993), The method of comparative analysis is a way to analyze the
similarities and differences in the use of existing languages, which are of course regulated by certain
rules.

FINDING & DISCUSSION

The Preposition in English

There is common preposition and complex preposition. A complex preposition is a preposition

that consists of a group of two or more words that act as a single preposition.

Tabel 1. English Prepositions

One word Preposition Complex Preposition

About For Under According to

Above From Underneath Ahead of

Across In Until Apart from

After Inside Up Aside from

Against Into Upon As of

Along Like With Along with

Among Near Within Away from

Around Of Without Because of

At Off By means of

Before On But for

Behind Onto In addition to

Below Opposite In back of

Beneath Out In front of

Besides Outside In place of

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Between Over In spite of

Beyond Over Instead of

But Past In view of

By Since Next to

Down Through On account of

During To On top of

Except Toward Out of

6 Classes of prepositional based on Bruckfield (2011)

1. Preposition of time
Prepositions of time are sometimes known as temporal prepositions where these
prepositions function as time markers including indefinite time, period of time and duration of
time and events. Included in the preposition of time are at, in, on, by, for, from…to, since, until.
At is used to talk about exact clock time, age, names of mealtime, noon, night, and midnight. ‘In’
is used to talk about time of the day, months/seasons, years, and after a certain period of time,’
On’ is used to talk about days of the week. ‘since, for, by, from-to, until, during’ is used to
expresses extended time.
For example:
- The concert will start at 7.15 p.m.
2. Preposition of location
The preposition of location is used to designate the place, position, or location of an
entity that is somehow connected by reference. Words included in location prepositions are in,
on, at, to, from, toward, under, below, near, across, through, in front of, between, among, etc. The
difference in is used for a place or in something, at is used for a more specific place, for an event,
or a place for someone to do something like watching movies, work, or school. Whereas on is to
show public transportation, a place on the surface, a certain side (right or left)
For instance:
- Manda lives in Bandung, on Percobaan Street at 10 percobaan street.
3. Preposition of direction
Directional prepositions are used to describe changes in position, motion, direction, or
delivery of a particular purpose. Included in the preposition direction are to, from, unto, at, into &
out of (direction toward or away from the container), Towards, along (direction of a length),
around, across, through, throughout, past, by, about, against, for.
The example:
- Naila is talking to Nazwa.
4. Preposition of orientation
Preposisi orientation digunakan untuk menunjukan suatu wilayah di posisi vertikan atau
horizontal di proyeksikan dari referennya. Terdapat dua pembagian dalam preposition orientation,
yaitu vertical projection (above, below, over, under) dan horizontal projections (in front of,
behind, a head of, in advance of, at the front of, in back of, across from, opposite, before, after, at
the heels of, beyond). This preposition of orientation shows the area projected from the reference.
For example:
- The airplane is flying above the mountains.
5. Preposition of transportation
Prepositions of transportation are used to indicate position relative to modes of
transportation, including expressions to describe their shape. The basic prepositions of
the preposition of transportation are in, on, out of, off and by. In the preposition of
transportation the use of in and on will depend on the type of transportation whether it is

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commercial transportation or private transportation. And also depends on the status of a

person in the vehicle. There are 'crew member', 'passive passenger', and 'active passenger'
statuses. Use 'on' for passive passengers, but 'in' for crew members or active passengers.
The example:
- The pilot is in his own plane (private).
6. Non-spatial prepositions
Non-spatial prepositions contain the meaning of 'of' and 'for' which are not clearly
spatial like the others and function only as a complement. Usually this type of preposition
discusses comparison and contrasts (words that include are as, like, such as, unlike, in
common with, on a par with, by comparison to, than, in the face of, etc), condition,
compliance, and association (words that include are considering, as long as, concerning,
in reference to, further to, with repect to, etc), Concession and Defiance of Facts (in spite
of, in the teeth of), reason, cause, and consequence (because of, due to , as a consequence
of, as a result of, etc), purpose and benefit (with an eye to, in order to, in hopes of, etc)
opposite, support and help (anti, pro, in aid of, etc) Inclusion, exclusion, and axception
(including, featuring, etc)
For instance:
- She is like her mother.
Prepositional Particles in Korean
Prepositions in language are formed from morphemes which will later bind or be attached to the
base word, in this case the noun.. Ahn Jae Myung (2013) mentions the existence of several prepositional
particle forms in Korean, among others:
1. N 에 1 (~e)
N 에 is a prepositional particle which has meaning ‘to’. ‘To’ here expresses a direction
where the subject will go. The N 에 particle is also usually attached with some special verbs
such as 가다 (to go), 다니다 (to attend/commute), 오다 (to come), 도칙하다 (to arrive),
돌아가다 (to return), 올라가다 (to go up), 내려가다 (to go down).
저는 진구의 집에 가요. I’m going to my friend’s house.
In addition, the N 에 particle can be interpreted to express a location for a person or thing. In
English, this corresponds to 'in' or 'on' when used with 있다 and 없다.
책상 위에 고양이가 있어요. The cat is on the table.
2. N 에 2 (~e)
N 에 is a prepositional particle which indicates a time. It has the same meaning as 'at' or
'on' in English. The words that cannot be attached with this particle when indicating time are
오늘 (today), 모레 (the day after tomorrow), 내일 (tomorrow), 언제 (when), 그제 = 그저께
(the day before yesterday), 어제 = 어저께 (yesterday).
Examples of the use of the N 에 particle are usually in the mention of the year, month,
date, day of week, time, season. Such as: 2001 년에, 다음 달에, 4 월 24 일에, 토요일에,
아침에, 여름에.
3. N 에서 (~eseo)
N 에 서 , this prepositional particle is attached with a noun to express a place where
something happened. It has a meaning corresponding to 'at' or 'in in English.
도서관에서 공부를 해요. I study in the library.
4. N 에서 N 까지, N 부터 N 까지 (~eseo ~kkaji, ~buteo ~kkaji)
The N 에서 N 까지 particle expresses a range of locations which means with ‘from…
to…’ in English. And the particle N 부 터 N 까 지 expresses a range of time as in the
preposition ‘from… until…’ in English. However, in their use, these two prepositional
particles are sometimes used without any difference.
도서관에서 집까지오토바이를 탄다. I ride a motorcycle from library to home.
오전 8 시부터 오후 3 시까지 일해요. I work from 8:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M.
5. N 에게/한테 (~ege/~hante)
This particle is attached with a noun whose position is the recipient or target of an action
that occurs (direct object). In fact, the 한테 particle is more used in everyday usage than the

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에게 particle. However, these two particles are only used for humans or other living creatures
and those who do not belong to persons or other living creatures use the N 에 particle.
As for some lists of verbs that can only be used with the N 에게/한테 particle, namely:
주다 (to give), 선물아다 (to give a present), 던지다 (to throw), 보내다 (to send), 부치다 (to
ship/send), 불 이 다 (to attach), 쓰 다 (to write), 묻 다 (to ask), 전 화 하 다 (to phone),
가르치다 (to teach), 말하다 (to speak), 팔다 (to sell), 가다 (to go), 오다 (to come).
찬열 씨가 백현 씨에게 선물을 줍니다. Chanyeol gives a present to Baekhyun.
6. N(으)로 (~(eu)ro)
This particle has 2 functions, first as a form of direction expression (toward a place).
Meaning 'to' or 'toward' in English. If a particle begins with ( 으) then the last letter of the
noun must be a consonant, while 로 can be attached directly to a noun ending in a vowel.
Second, this prepositional particle functions to express means of transport, other means,
tools, and materials used to make something. And this second function corresponds to 'by' or
'with/using' and 'from' in English.
톡요에서 나고야까지 비행기로 가요. (I) go from Tokyo to Nagoya by airplane.
여기에서 오른쪽으로 가세요. Please go to the right from here.
딸기로 잼을 만들었어요. (I) made jam from strawberry.
7. N 쯤 (~jjeum)
Particle N 쯤, attached to denoting number, time, amount to indicate approximation. This
particle means the same as 'about' or 'around' in English.
요즘 사과가 2,000 원쯤 해요. These days, apples cost about 2,000 won.
공항에 한 시쯤 도착했어요. (I) arrived at the airport around 1 o’clock.
8. N 처럼, N 같이 (~cheoreom, ~katchi)
Particles N 처럼, N 같이 express that an action or thing is the same or even very similar
to the preceding noun. It corresponds to 'like' or 'as … as' in English.
배우처럼 연기를 잘 불러요. (He) acts like a professional actor.
리어 씨는 천사같이 착해요. Leo is as kind as an angel.
9. N 보다 (~boda)
보다 is attached with a noun to indicate a process in which a comparison is made. This
prepositional particle means 'than'. In this particle, the order of subject and noun attached to
this particle can be changed without changing the meaning. In addition, additional adverbs
that are usually used with this particle (더) can also be omitted.
언니가 동생보다더 커요 (= 언니보다 동생이 더 커요). (My) sister is bigger than
(my) little sister.
오토바이가 자전거보다 빨라요. Motorcycle is faster than bicycle.

Tabel 2. Comparison of English and Korean Prepositional Particles

English Korean
English prepositions are written in Korean prepositions are written in
letters of the alphabet that have one- Hangeul letters in the form of
word forms and complex forms morpheme particles which are later
(consisting of two or more words). attached to the underlying nouns..
1. Form
The example : Example:
in, near, under, by, away from, in 도서관에서 (at school)
back of, aside from, on top of. [doseokgwan-eseo]
Prepositions in English are located The location of the Korean preposition
before nouns, personal pronoun, or is behind the word being explained.
noun phrase
2. Position
Contoh:
For instance: 딸기로 (from strawberry)
From Bandung, on the bus. [ttalgi-ro]
3. Function English prepositions have 6 functions Prepositional particles in Korean have
namely 12 functions in their usage.
(1) Preposition of time: at, in, on, (1) N 에 1; has a function that

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indicates the direction in which

the subject will go or do
something.
(2) N 에 1; has a function that shows
the location or whereabouts of
people and thing.
(3) N 에 2; has a function to indicate a
by, for, from…to, since, until. time.
(2) Preposition of location: on, at, (4) N 에서; has a function to express
to, from, toward, under, a place where something
below, near, across, through. happened.
(3) Preposition of direction: around, (5) N 에서 N 까지; has a function to
across, through, throughout, show the range of locations.
past, by, about, against, for, to, (6) N 부터 N 까지; has a function to
show the range of time.
from, unto.
(7) N 에 게 / 한 테 ; has a function to
(4) Preposition of orientation:
show the objective relationship.
above, below, behind, a head (8) N( 으 ) 로 1; has the function of
of, before, after. expressing direction to a place.
(5) Preposition of transportation: in, (9) N( 으 ) 로 2; has a function to
on, out of, off and by. express meaning, tools, or
(6) Non-spatial preposition: as, like, materials used to make something.
in common with, because of, due (10) N 쯤 ; has a function for
to, in order to, concerning, etc. denoting numbers, times, numbers
that are approaching
(11) N 처 럼 , N 같 이 ; has the
function of expressing that an
action or thing is the same or very
similar to something else.
(12) N 보 다 ; has a function to
indicate a process a comparison is
made.
Examples of using Korean
prepositional particles in a sentence
are::
- The concert will start at 7.15
남자 친구한테 선물할 거예요.
p.m [namja chingu-hante seonmul-
4. Application - My company has more than halgoyeyo]
100 offices throughout the (I’m going to give them to my
U.S. girlfriend as a present)
여름보다 봄을 더 좋아해요.
[yeoreum-boda bum-eul do joha-yo]
(I like spring more than summer)

CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from the results of the research on the above data regarding the similarities
and differences in English and Korean prepositions as follows.
1) The shape of the prepositional particle of both languages is clearly different. Where English
has its prepositional form in the form of a complete 'word' while Korean has a prepositional
form with a 'particle' or unit form attached to a basic word (morpheme).
2) The position of the particles in English and Korean in declarative sentences is also different.
In English, it is generally located in front of the word being raised, while in Korean it is
attached behind the word being explained.
3) There are 6 particle functions in English and 12 functions in Korean. However, most of the
functions of prepositions in both languages are the same.

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4) The use of prepositions both in English and Korean has an active role in sentence formation.

REFERENCES
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Publisher.
Bruckfield, A. (2012). PREPOSITIONS THE ULTIMATE BOOK MASTERING ENGLISH
PREPOSITIONS. OakPublishers.
Dwiyanto, D. (2021). Metode Kualitatif:Penerapanna Dalam Penelitian. 1–7.
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