Why 2 prepositions are used in this sentence?

Question

I was reading Cambridge's Grammar site and I came across this sentence:

Unlike in many other languages, adjectives in English do not change (agree) with the noun that they modify

Look at "Unlike in many other languages". Why are there used two prepositions? What is the prepositional phrase "in many other languages" act as here? It's acting like a noun phrase maybe?

Also can I omit the "in" and say "Unlike many other languages"?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

BoSsSy~~Why are there used two prepositions?~~ Why are two prepositions used?

The contrast is between two prepositional phrases.

in many other languages — in English

To keep them parallel we keep 'in' in both cases.

Unlike in X, adjectives in Y do not ...

A good way to think of it is that certain words are implied between the two prepositions:

Unlike the way it is in many other languages, ...

Here are more examples for you to think about. I got them from fraze.it.

Unlike with the first courses, meat makes the best impression among the entrees.
Unlike in college football today, top teams in the Hayes days won on the ground. 
Unlike against the Raiders, the Texans will be under big-play pressure all game.
Unlike in 1994, the fans met at giant screens, where Game 7 was being televised.
Unlike during Soviet times, though, cola isn't the main focus of Pepsi's effort.
Unlike in the West End, development in the east has been uneven and spontaneous.
Unlike in Hollywood, there was no chance to make up for the flop with DVD sales.
Unlike in decades past, opening gifts does not have to be a part of your affair.

CJ

Englishmaven · Answer

I have to say that the sentence could be written better. It is a terrible example of English expression, and I'm shocked to learn where it occurred. But to answer your question, the noun or pronoun that follows "Unlike many other languages," should be a language (the name of a language), not a part of speech like adjectives. For that reason, we can't take out "in." To provide a contrast, the writer began the sentence with "unlike," but it is very awkward. It is poor usage. The negative "unlike" is further complicating the matter. It would be so much easier to say the following:

English is different, as are many other languages, in that adjectives do not change (agree) with the noun that they modify.

Why 2 prepositions are used in this sentence?

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