10.3. Per vs Por
10.3.1. The History of "Per" and "Por"
The prepositions "per" and "por" as we know them in Neolatin have specific origins. To understand why these prepositions exist as they do in Neolatin, we must first examine their cognates in Classical Latin.
- Ā, Ab, Abs [From (separation), Out of, By (personal agent), Since]
- Dē [From, Away from, About/Concerning]
- Prō [For, In favor of, In place of]
- Per [Through, During, By means of]
The Iberian Peninsula
Starting with Romance languages of the Iberian peninsula, we see "por" and "para" in Spanish and Portuguese.
Examining the origin of "por":
Prō ➜ Pōr ➜ Por
"Prō" went through a process called "metathesis", which is when sounds or syllables change from one position in a word to another. This happened because of the influence of the similar preposition "per". Spanish and Portuguese inherit "por" from "prō". However, they did not inherit the prepositions "ab" or "per". "Por" assumed the functions of the Latin "per", despite its appearance originally being from "prō".
Examining the origin of "para":
Por a ["Por" + "A"] ➜ Pora ➜ Para
To supplement other uses, "por a" came into being, which eventually became "por a" (composed of the new preposition "por" and the inherited "a" from Latin "ad"). Through a process called "assimilation", where one sound of a word becomes more like another sound in the word, "pora" finally became "para".
In short, "por" and "para" more or less corresponds to "per" and "prō" in Classical Latin.
In a similar fashion, Catalan has "per" and "per a", having the same meanings in "por" and "para" in Spanish and Portuguese. The difference is that "per" was wholly inherited in appearance from "per" in Latin, instead of conflating "per" and "prō".
Italian
In the case of Italian, a similar displacement happened, but with a different preposition. "Per" in Italian was inherited from "per", but it also took functions from "prō".
Italian inherited "ab" in the form of the preposition "da", composed of "dē" and "ā/ab". What makes "da" particular was that other languages did not conserve "ab" and that some of its uses more commonly correspond to "de" in other modern Romance languages.
French
French inherited "pour" from "prō" and "par" from "per". Curiously, despite the divergence of the French language in other aspects, these prepositions are largely conservative in their meanings from Latin. Their meanings and appearance most closely resemble the ideal Pan-Romance uses.
Romanian
Like other Romance languages, Romanian inherits its prepositions, but due to its isolation from other Romance languages, these prepositions have more divergent meanings.
"Pe" comes from the Latin "per", conserving some key meanings like "through" and "approximately". However, unlike other languages, its meaning was also influenced by "super" (meaning "above" or "on top of") to mean "on" with contact.
"De" was inherited from "dē", but has some key innovative meanings that make it different from direct cognates in other Romance languages. Some examples are "de" being the preposition that mark the agent of a passive verb (ex: A book written by Jose Marti), which was a function "ab" had in Latin or indicating the reason behind something (ex: We cannot see because of the fog).
"Pentru" is an evolution of the Latin "per intrō", with a meaning closest to the original Latin "prō".
In summary, "pe" mixes the functions of "per" and "super", "de" mixes the functions of "dē" with "ab" and "per", and "pentru" is a new preposition created more or less resembling the use of "prō",
Conclusions
As we have seen, due to a shift in meanings and a mix of functions of inherited prepositions, communicating with these prepositions is more difficult than some may think at first glance.
To ensure comprehension, Neolatin examines both the original meaning of prepositions in Classical Latin and compares the functions of prepositions in modern Romance languages to reach a conclusion.
To avoid confusion, treat the concepts of "per" and "por" differently from other Romance languages.
The next sections demonstrate the uses of "per" and "por" in Neolatin.
10.3.2. Uses of "Per"
| Use | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Motive or cause ("Due to" or "The reason being") | Se ha cancellato lo concèrto per la plòjja. | The concert has been cancelled due to the rain. |
| Extension of a distance or period of time | Lo projèctile me evitau (per / de) un mètro. | The projectile missed me by one meter. |
| Distributive | Solo un plato per persona. | Only one plate per person. |
| Expressing the agent | Don Chiscîotte de la Mancîa fu escripto per Miguel de Cervantes. | Don Quixote de la Mancha was written by Miguel de Cervantes. |
| Measurement | Sèpte per òcto mètros. | Seven by eight meters. |
| Multiplication | Doos per doos èst equale ad quattro. | Two times two equals four. |
| Price | Comprai un libro per 10 [dece] euros. | I bought a book for 10 [ten] euros. |
| Movement ("Through" a place) | 1. Lo ladrone entrau per la fenèstra. 2. Camminai per las estratas de la civtate. | 1. The thief entered through the window. 2. I walked through the streets of the city. |
| Substitution | Reemplattsai lo pomo (per / con) una banana. | I replaced the apple with a banana. |
| Approximate position ("Around" or "by") | La casa està per accuí. | The house is around here. |
| Duration of time (Finished actions or actions not in progress) | 1. Trepallîai per doas horas. 2. Cuello tipo pòte parlare per horas. | 1. I worked for two hours. 2. That guy can talk for hours. |
| Imminent action ("About to") | Estao per allectare-me. | I am about to lie down. |
| Medium or mode | Te lo mandarai per pòsta electrònica. | I will send it to you by email. |
10.3.3. Uses of "Por"
| Use | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Finality or purpose ("In order to") | Comprai una bicicletta por viaggîare ad mèo trepallîo. | I bought a bicycle to travel to my job. |
| Concessive value or comparisons | Necausa male por un principiante! | Not bad for a beginner! |
| Destination | Partimos por Francia. | We depart for France. |
| Deadline | Deves finire lo artículo por vèneres. | You must finish the article by Friday. |
| Opinion | Por mi, non pènso que sèa la mellîor decisione. | For me, I don't think it's the best decision. |
| For a recipient | Cuesto libro èst por ti. | This book is for you. |
| Indicating a determined moment | Visitarai mèa familia por Pasqua. | I will visit my family for Easter. |
| Obtaining something | Faría qualonque causa por havere cuello libro. | I would do anything to have that book. |
| To be in favor of something | So por toa idèa. | I am for your idea. |
| In exchange for something | 1. Te dai dece euros por cuello libro. 2. Òllîo por òllîo, dènte por dènte. | 1. I will give you ten euros for that book. 2. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. |
| Representation (“In place of” or “On behalf of”) | Le demandarai por ti. | I will ask him for you. |
10.3.4. Comparative Table
| Use | Neolatin | Portuguese | Spanish | Catalan | French | Italian | Romanian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motive or cause ("Due to" or "The reason being") | per | por | por | per | par | per | din |
| Extension of a distance or period of time | per / de | por | por | per | de | di | cu |
| Distributive | per | por | por | per | par | a | de |
| Expressing the agent | per | por | por | per | par | da | de |
| Measurement | per | por | por | per | sur | per | pe |
| Multiplication | per | vezes | por | per | fois | per | de…ori |
| Price | per | por | por | per | pour | per | cu |
| Movement ("Through" a place) | per | por | por | per | par | per | per |
| Substitution | per / con | por | por | per | par | con | cu |
| Approximate position ("Around" or "by") | per | por | por | per | par | per | pe |
| Duration of time (Finished actions or actions not in progress) | per / durante | por | por / durante | per / durant | pendant / depuis | per | timp de / pentru |
| Imminent action ("About to") | per | ∅ | por | per | ∅ | per | ∅ |
| Medium or mode | per | por | por | per | par / en | via / in | prin / cu |
| Finality or purpose ("In order to") | por | para | para | per / per a | pour | per | ca să |
| Concessive value or comparisons | por | para | para | per a | pour | per | pentru |
| Destination | por | para | para / hacia | cap a | pour | per / verso | spre |
| Deadline | por | até | para | abans de | d'ici | entro / per | până |
| Opinion | por | para | para | per a | pour | per | ca să |
| For a recipient | por | para | para | per a | pour | per | pentru |
| Indicating a determined moment | por | para | por | per | pour | per | de |
| Obtaining something | por | para | por | per | pour | per | ca să |
| To be in favor of something | por | ∅ | para | per a | pour | per | pentru |
| In exchange for something | por | por | por | per | pour | per | pentru |
| Representation (“In place of” or “On behalf of”) | por | por | por | per | pour | per | pentru |
10.3.5. More Information
Conflicts
Although the preposition "per ad" (modelled after Iberian languages) is possible as a synonym for "por" in Neolatin, as the table shows, "per" and "por" in Neolatin are not perfect cognates with "por" and "para" in Romance languages of the Iberian peninsula (including Catalan).
In most cases, "per ad" is a valid synonym for "por".
However, there are several uses in these languages that are different:
- In exchange for something
- Representation (“In place of” or “On behalf of”)
In these cases, "per ad" is not possible.
In regards to the use of "representation", this results in a notable difference between Iberian languages and other languages. Some verbs take on a different meaning depending on whether "por" or "para" is used.
For example, in Iberian languages, "trabajar por" (to work in support of something or substituting another person) and "trabajar para" (like working directly for an employer).
Another example is "luchar", where "luchar por" (the frequent form) refers to fighting that emphasizes the objective, or the abstract desire. "Luchar para" (much less common) refers to fighting for a specific objective that was achieved.
Other Romance languages use the same preposition for both the use of "representation" and "for a recipient". In languages like Italian, French and Romanian, in contrast to Iberian languages, the distinction is contextual rather than explicitly with a different preposition.
That being said, some may prefer to emulate the Iberian distinction in the form of "trepallîare per" and "trepallîare per ad/por". It is up to the individual user, but note that this is not a general characteristic.
Per que vs Por que
"Per" and "por" are used in forming the following words with different meanings. Firstly, the adverb "per que", which means "why" (the explanation or cause), as well as the conjunction "per que", which means "because".
Secondly, the conjunction "por que", which means "so that" or "in order to" (purpose).
The examples below show the differences:
| Per que mangîaste pizza? | Why did you eat pizza? |
| Mangîai pizza per que haveva fame. | I ate pizza because I was hungry. |
| Aggrandai lo tèxto por que lo potesses vedere mèllîo. | I enlarged the text so that you could see it better. |