jeff_l
(Jeff_L)
#1
Chapter 5
Noun phrase structure
A noun-phrase (NP) consists of a noun (as lexical head of the phrase) and,
optionally, one or more modifiers or a possessor.
5.1 Nominal modifiers
5.1.1 Adjectives
5.1.1.1 Modifying "adjectives"
Nearly all "modifying adjectives" are, morphologically speaking, participles of
intransitive verbs. They are therefore special cases of a more general
construction for subject relatives. See §8.5.7 for examples.
Some other "modifying adjectives" are formally possessed constructions of
the type '(a/the) X of Y\ with Possessive preposition η (an). The X and Y
components may be nouns in apposition, with X the more basic noun and Y
describing a secondary quality. For example, if X is as-habs 'man' and Y is the
compound noun aew sendad 'lazy one' (lit. "son of laziness," see §5.2.4.2), we
get ae-habs η sew sendad '(a) lazy man'. Other ways to express 'lazy man' are
the (MaSg) agentive e-m-asssendaed and the participial construction se-hdlas
i-ssündaed-aen.
'Bad' can also be expressed using the compound initial erk (§5.2.4.4).
5.1.1.2 Comparatives
The most common symmetrical comparative construction, glossable as 'X be
as [adjective] as Y\ involves the transitive verb -ujdvh- (PerfP -ojdaeh-). In
the absence of a specification, this verb can mean 'be equal to' or 'be as big
as'. It can be adapted to other adjectival qualities by adding an appropriate
specification ('X equals Y [with respect to\ strength'). The specifying noun
follows the verb, with no preposition. The Resit stem -ojdaeh- is usual in
positive comparatives. Some dialects have g for T-ka j.
(220) a. waerAdsr-l 0-ogdeh
Neg-\with-lSg 3MaSgS-be.equal.PerfN
'He is not equal to me.' (often = '... is not as big as I') [Gao]
