268 Catriona Hyslop
4.1. ADJECTIVES CAN FUNCTION AS A MODIFIER IN AN NP
The most significant criteria for distinguishing adjectives as a sub-class distinct
from active intransitive verbs is the fact that adjectives can occur with a typical at-
tributive function as a modifier of the head noun in an NP. Both adjectives, as in
(7), and active intransitive verbs, as in (8), can function as the head of a predicate.
However, it is not possible for an active intransitive verb such as laka 'be noisy' to
modify a noun as shown by ungrammatical sentence (10).
(7) Ra=u garea.
3nsgSP=TEL good
"They are good.'
(8) Ra=mo laka.
3nsgSP=REAL be.noisy
"They are (being) noisy.'(9) Ngie tangaloi garea.
3sg person good
'S/he is a good person.'(10) *Ngie tangaloi laka.
3sg person be.noisy
'S/he is a noisy person.'
Transitive verbs can never modify nouns and neither can underived active intran-
sitives. However, there are some A-type transitive verbs that can be reduplicated
to form an intransitive, and this derived transitive can modify a noun. In some in-
stances the reduplicated form cannot occur predicatively as an intransitive verb,
but only as a modifier.
hue 'to paddle' (v.t.) huhue 'to paddle' (v.i.)
aka huhue '(paddling) canoe'
vatu 'to weave' (v.t.) vavatu 'to weave' (v.i.)
gamali vavatu 'weaving house'
tunu 'to roast' (v.t.) tutunu 'to roast' (v.i.)
qeta tutunu 'roasted taro'
goa 'to scrape' (v.t.) gogoa *'to scrape' (v.i.)
gari gogoa 'scraping shell'
inu 'to drink' (v.t.) inuinu * 'to drink' (v.i.)
wai inuinu 'drinking water'
teve 'to cut' (v.t.) teveteve * 'to cut' (v.i.)
hue teveteve cutting knife'A noun can also be modified by another noun, which functions to further define
certain characteristics of the referent, and which results in a compound form. Only
a pair of common nouns can combine to form a compound. Compounds can be