PART 2: Noun phrase

Categorization

What type of thing?
typically expressed by the head of the noun phrase

Instantiation

What particular instance of that thing?
typically expressed by determiners (e.g. articles, demonstratives, …)

Common nouns

e.g, table, lamp, land, …, generally do need a determiner

Collective nouns

Subtyper of common noun. Inherently refer to a group and can be combined with singular (focus on the group as a whole) or plural (focus on individuals within that group) verbs

Proper name

Do not carry lexical meaning. Some uses despite added modifiers:

• added notion of closeness (our Lucy)

• added notion of distance (there’s a mrs Rose here)

• highlight important aspects of the referent

Proper names used as common nouns

• Entity with the name [x] (the John I went to school with)

• Entity with the characteristics of [x] (she is going to be the next Taylor Swift)

• Product associated with [x], maker for product (I’m reading a Thea Beckman)

Order in the pre head zone

• Focusing adv-predeterminer-determiner-postdeterminer-numerative-qualitative adj-classifying adj-head noun

• almost double the usual five stale oatmeal biscuits

Qualitative adjective

gradeable, designates a quality. Good, modern, …

Classifying adjective

Non-gradable. designates a subtype of the general type of
thing denoted by the head noun

Post-determining adjective

adjectives which function as deictic (context-bound) words
they add a reference point that is relative to the speaker & the
hearer, so their meaning depends on the context of the speech
situation

Cardinal quantification

No reference mass, direct description of magnitude

Relative quantification

Adresses size in reference to the mass (x of the)

• universal: whole mass is referenced

• non-universal: only part of the mass