1 Adjective Classes in Typological Perspective 3Word classes can be identified between languages (and assigned the same names)
on two criteria—similarity of syntactic function and similarity of meaning. In
terms of syntactic function, a noun may always function as head of a noun phrase
that can be a predicate argument, and a verb can always be head of a predicate. In
terms of semantic content, the noun class always includes words with concrete
reference such as 'dog', 'stone', and 'axe', while the verb class always includes words
referring to actions, such as 'cut', 'talk', and give'. On this basis, the class whose mem-
bers inflect for case and number (and each have a fixed gender) in Latin is identi-
fied with the class whose members follow an article and need not be followed by
anything in English; they are both termed the noun class. The noun classes in Latin
and in English do not have exactly the same semantic content, but they share a
common semantic core; they do not have exactly the same syntactic function, but
they share a common syntactic core.
There is further discussion of the prototypical and extensional syntactic func-
tions of nouns, verbs, and adjectives in §§3-4. Before moving on to this, we can
usefully discuss the typical semantic content of the three major word classes.
1.1. SEMANTIC CONTENTThe lexical roots in every language can be arranged in a number of semantic types.
Certain types have prototypical association with a given word class, while others
vary in their word class associations (see Dixon 19913).
Semantic types with concrete reference are always linked to the noun class—
these include HUMANS (e.g. 'boy'), body and other PARTS (e.g. 'eye', 'leg'), FLORA (e.g.
'tree', 'leaf'), FAUNA (e.g. 'rat', 'fly'), CELESTIAL (e.g. 'sun'), ENVIRONMENT (e.g. 'water',
'forest'), and ARTEFACTS (e.g. 'gun', 'house').
In English, the class of nouns also includes—among others—terms referring
to mental states (e.g. 'joy', 'ability'), physical states (e.g. 'ache'), activities (e.g. 'war',
game'), and speech acts (e.g. 'speech', 'answer'). However, in other languages some
or all of these concepts are coded by verbs or adjectives.
Semantic types always associated with the verb class include MOTION (e.g. 'run,
'take', 'throw'), REST (e.g. 'sit', 'put', 'hold'), AFFECT (e.g. 'hit', 'burn', 'build'), GIVING (e.g.
give', 'trade'), ATTENTION (e.g. 'see', 'hear'), and SPEAKING (e.g. 'tell', 'shout', 'ask').
In English the class of verbs also includes—among others—items referring
to weather (e.g. 'rain'), liking (e.g. 'love', 'prefer', 'hate'), annoying etc. (e.g. 'annoy',
'amuse', 'inspire'), and comparing (e.g. 'resemble', 'differ'). However, in other lan-
guages some or all of these concepts are coded through nouns or adjectives.
We are here particularly concerned with the semantic types typically associated
with the word class adjective:
(a) There are four core semantic types, which are typically associated with both
large and small adjective classes.
- DIMENSION—'big', 'small', 'long', 'tall', short', 'wide', 'deep', etc.
- AGE—'new', 'young', 'old', etc.