Parameter label: Adjectives without nouns
Values:
Adj=N
Adj=V
NoAdjNoN
AdjNoN=Adj
AdjNoNPref
AdjNoNSuff
WAdjNoN
AdjNoNW
AdjNoNMix
Reference: W 61
Commentary
Adjectives (Adj) generally appear in relation to nouns, either as an attribute of the
noun or as the predicate of the sentence. However, some languages allow for adjectives to
appear in sentences that lack a noun, where they serve the function of the noun (AdjNoN).
The various types of this construction are detailed in this parameter.
Types:
Adj=N: The language does not have a clear distinction between nouns and adjectives,
and so the use of adjectives as nouns is not relevant.
Adj=V: The language does not have a clear distinction between adjectives and verbs,
and so the use of adjectives as nouns is not relevant.
NoAdjNoN: Adjectives cannot appear without a noun.
AdjNoN=Adj: Adjectives can appear without a noun; the bare adjective appears with
no morphological change.
AdjNoNPref: Adjectives can appear without a noun; this requires the use of a
nominalizer prefix.
AdjNoNSuff: Adjectives can appear without a noun; this requires the use of a
nominalizer suffix.
WAdjNoN: Adjectives can appear without a noun; this requires the use of a given
word before the adjective.
AdjNoNW: Adjectives can appear without a noun; this requires the use of a given
word after the adjective.
AdjNoNMix: Adjectives can appear without a noun; this requires the use of a strategy
other than those listed above, or some combination of the above.1
Keywords: adjective, noun, adjectival noun.
1
Other strategies may include the use of tone or phonological stress. Any application of this value should be
accompanied by a description in the commentary.