Identifying new multi-word prepositions in Croatian: the preposition + noun + preposition pattern

Multi­word prepositions (MWPs) are complex lexical units, typically formed from prepositions and nouns. Because many are still evolving semantically, morphologically, and syntactically, no definitive list of MWPs exists. This article examines three­word expressions with the structure preposition + noun + preposition. Using regular expressions, these patterns were applied to a Croatian language corpus to identify and analyze potential MWPs based on features such as frequency of use, variability of elements, semantics, and other relevant properties.