Adjective Classes - A Cross-Linguistic Typology

16 R. M. W. Dixon

6.1.1. Different possibilities within the predicate slot

In some languages exactly the same morphological processes and syntactic modi-

fiers may apply to a verb and an adjective within a predicate. However, in many

languages the possibilities vary.

Most typically, an adjective is far more restricted than a verb when it occurs as

predicate head. For example, in the Iroquoian language Cherokee (Feeling 1975),

a verb as predicate head allows three types of prefix and two varieties of suffix. In

contrast, an adjective as predicate head allows only pronominal prefixes:

(11) Predicate structure in Cherokee

verb

completed,

tense/aspect,

interrogative

Note that only those positions which are obligatory for verbs are found with ad-
jectives.
Another language in which adjectives have more limited possibilities than verbs
is Temiar (Aslian branch of Austroasiatic; Benjamin 1976: 184); only verbs (not
adjectives) may take the modal affix -m- and form causatives.
In other languages, verbs allow some modifiers which adjectives lack, and adjec-
tives permit some which verbs lack. For example:

• In Vietnamese (Nguyen 1987: 791), only adjectives can be preceded by rat 'very'
  and khdt 'rather', and only verbs can occur with the exhortative particle hay.


• In Chamorro (Austronesian; Topping 1973: 231), only verbs can take a modifier
  of manner, and only adjectives may take an intensifies


• In Kamaiura (Tupi-Guarani branch of Tupi family; Seki 2000: 67), adjectives
  differ from verbs in that (a) verbs but not adjectives can occur in the circum-
  stantial mode; (b) in indicative, exhortative, and imperative moods, adjectives
  take pronominal proclitics while verbs take pronominal prefixes; (c) the gerund
  is marked by -ram on a verb but by -m on an adjective.


• In Warekena (Aikhenvald 1998), verbs take a pronominal prefix whereas adjec-
  tives take a pronominal suffix, in each case relating to the S argument.


• In Korean (Chapter 9), adjectives and verbs show essentially the same categor-
  ies, but have different allomorphs for indicative within predicate slot and for in-
  dicative within a relative clause.

adjective adjective

±initial +pronom- ±reflexive +verb/ ±non-final ±fmal suffix

prefixes inal prefix prefix adjective root suffixes

8 orders, 13 orders, pre-incipient,

including including future,

negative, reversive, infinitive,

'again', 'since' repetitive, tense, etc.