Distribution

Abstract

This chapter distinguishes the prepositions among(st), amid(st), between, and in-between, which refer to distributive inclusion, with (a)round, about, and concerning, which has a similar meaning to one sense of about. It traces among(st), amid(st), and between, in-between to Old English, wherein among /ə’mʌŋ/ developed out of on-gemang ‘in a crowd or assemblage’, and amid /ə’mid/ from on-middan ‘in the middle of’. Among(st), amid(st), between, and in-between function only as prepositions and do not enter into prepositional verbs or phrasal verbs, showing limited possibilities for extension from spatial meanings. The chapter highlights amid or amidst that may be used in most contexts, with no difference of sense. Despite their similar meanings, among(st) and, amid(st) are substitutable one for the other in only a few of the most basic spatial contexts.