A generative semantic model for a componential analysis of prepositions in Italian sentences is described and critiqued. According to the model, a sentence is analyzed in terms of a "predicate" plus one or more "arguments." The model emphasizes the semantic role of prepositions and regards this role as the basis for a syntactic analysis of sentences. Thus the meaning of prepositions is examined, and an attempt is made to determine a precise deep structure meaning for these prepositions. Criticism of the model is based on the argument that, in attempting to identify a single semantic representation for each preposition, the model applies deep structure criteria to surface structure data. (AM)