The categorial meaning of adjectives

Outline

1. The categorial meaning of adjectives

2. Lexical/grammatical subclasses of Englishadjectives

3. The morphemic structure of English adjectives

4. The categories of English adjectives

4.1. The morphological category of degrees of comparison

4.2. The semantic category of intensity

5. The syntactic functions of Englishadjectives

6. The categorial status of a- adjectives

THE CATEGORIAL MEANING OF ADJECTIVES

The categorial meaning of adjectives is that of the property of a substance. It can be the material of which the object is made, its color, dimensions, location in space or state. Adjectives denote a permanent property, yet the degree of permanence depends on the syntactic position of the adjective, Cf.: visible stars – the stars visible (more permanent – less permanent). Adjectives do not possess a full nominative value, an exception here being adjectives which denote color. Consider the following examples by way of illustration.

Example (1) shows that small can apply equally to an elephant or a mouse, each of which (a small mouse vs. a small elephant) are radically different in terms of their absolute dimensions. Similarly, the interpretation of good in example (2) depends on the meaning of the noun it modifies. For instance, a good man might possess attributes such as physical beauty, honour, providing for his family, and so on, depending upon context. The sorts of qualities associated with a good meal, however, are more likely to include the size of the portions, how tasty the food is, that it consists of wholesome ingredients, and so on.

2. LEXICAL/GRAMMATICAL SUBCLASSES OF ENGLISH ADJECTIVES

English adjectives are divided into the " qualitative" and " relative" lexical/grammatical subclasses. There is also a lexical/grammatical subclass of the so-called a- adjectives, the linguistics status of which is going to be considered in more detail in (6).

Qualitative adjectivesdenote various qualities of substances that admit of a quantitative estimation, e.g. an awkward question – a very awkward question; a difficult task – too difficult a task, a hearty welcome – not a very hearty welcome.

Relative adjectivesdenote such properties of a substance that are determined by the direct relation of the substance to some other substance, e.g. a wooden hut = the hut made of wood; a historical event = the event which went down in history; see also: Siberian, rural, industrial, etc.

The borderline between the two subclasses is fuzzy. Relative adjectives can develop qualitative meanings, e.g. to be very English, to look more wooden than ever, childish attitude; qualitative adjectives may in certain contexts denote group affiliation, e.g. gay, red, black.