Hi. Formally, it's an indefinite article (a man = any man). Compare to "the", which is a definite article: the man on the corner (no other man). Now, it can be considered a preposition only in informal speech when replacing "of": sorta sad (sort of sad) or a kinda mess (a kind of mess).
I think our Guest merely meant to ask what "a." stands for when it's an abbreviation of something, to which I must answer that it depends on the context. Where did you find it?