Janet,

 

One sticking point here, I think, is that it's tempting to set up a
parallel between "X such as Y" and "such X as Y":

 

Altering the position of such vocal structures as the tongue and lips
produces different sounds.

Altering the position of vocal structures such as the tongue and lips
produces different sounds.

 

If those are considered "the same thing" but with different
arrangements, it's hard to label such as a preposition. That first
version is becoming rare in spoken English, though, and I think it would
be plausible to argue that - regardless of any historical connection
between the structures - people now use it as a phrasal preposition. I
don't think that's the "official" stance taken by most dictionaries,
though (I'm a linguist, so disagreeing with dictionaries simply makes me
feel all professionalish). 

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill Spruiell

 

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Castilleja, Janet
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 1:22 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: such as

 

In the following sentence, would you consider 'such as the tongue and
lips' a prepositional phrase?  Can 'such as' function as a preposition?

 

Altering the position of vocal structures such as the tongue and lips
produces different sounds.

 

Janet

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